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West Elk Mine 2016 Surface Water and Groundwater Quantity and Quality Data Summary 14 <br />3.0 ASSESSMENT OF MINE -INDUCED HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS IN <br />WY 2016 AND ANTICIPATED IMPACTS IN WY 2017 <br />3.1 Surface Water <br />MCC maintains a network of 23 stream flow gauging stations and eight temperature <br />monitoring stations throughout the permit and lease areas (Table 3). Daily mean surface <br />water flow summary tables are presented in Appendix A. Surface water flow <br />hydrographs are presented in Appendix B and the field and laboratory surface water <br />quality data are summarized in Appendix C. Tables and graphs of the Sylvester Gulch <br />and North Fork temperature monitoring data are presented in Appendix I and Appendix J, <br />respectively. <br />3.1.1 Impacts to Area Stream Water Quality <br />Surface water quality data are collected for permit -specified parameters at monitoring <br />stations throughout the permit area, in order to detect potential impacts of mining <br />activities to surface water resources. Potential impacts to water quality in area streams <br />are determined by comparing recent water quality and flow data to baseline values while <br />considering the effects of climatological factors, such as drought or high precipitation in <br />areas near mining activity. Monitoring sites with values greater than 10 percent over <br />comparable baseline maximums are noted in the table below. Field pH values were used <br />for comparison when they were available, as the holding time for the lab pH is typically <br />exceeded, due to the shipping time required for samples to reach the analytical lab. In <br />general, water quality parameters that are above 10 percent over baseline maximums are <br />likely due to natural variations in climate or flow conditions on the day the sample was <br />collected. Impacts that appear to be directly linked to mining activities are noted. It <br />should also be noted that baseline values are based on limited data and only give a <br />general indication of seasonal variability. The surface water quality data for steam <br />monitoring stations in WY 2016 are presented in Appendix C. <br />In WY 2016 none of the tested parameters were elevated 10 percent or more above <br />maximum baseline values at the following surface water monitoring locations: Lower <br />North Fork, Lower Minnesota Creek, Lower Dry Fork, Upper Dry Fork, Lick Creek, <br />Deep Creek Ditch, and Deep Creek Ditch. The Horse Gulch and Box Canyon sites were <br />dry, so there are no water quality data for these sites in WY 2016. There are no baseline <br />data for comparison for Upper Minnesota Creek (WWE, 2001). <br />Surface water monitoring sites where tested parameters were elevated 10 percent or more <br />above maximum baseline values are summarized in Table 9. These exceedances are not <br />likely mining related, since mining discharges have not and are not occurring in the <br />vicinity of the monitoring sites. The elevated measurements are likely due to natural <br />physical and or seasonal variations. <br />June 2017 HydroGeo, Ina <br />