Laserfiche WebLink
ANatural Soda LLC 2017 Project Status Report & Annual Plan of Development <br /> 5.0 Environmental Monitoring and Protection <br /> 5.1 Hydrology Monitoring <br /> 5.1.1 Introduction <br /> NS's hydrology monitoring program concentrates on ground water, as there are no <br /> perennial streams or springs located on or near NS's sodium leases. The USGS <br /> stream gauging station-monitoring program is conducted, with NS support, to provide <br /> regional surface stream flow data on Yellow and Piceance Creeks. <br /> The hydrology-monitoring plan is designed to determine impacts of NS's solution mining <br /> operations on underground sources of drinking water, as designated by the US EPA. <br /> Refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 for the locations of existing monitor wells. Groundwater <br /> analytical results are presented in Appendix A. <br /> 5.1.2 Stream Gauging Stations <br /> NS continues to contract with the USGS to monitor surface water for water quality and <br /> quantity. Monitoring was performed upstream and downstream relative to the mining <br /> operations and with respect to Yellow Creek and Piceance Creek at four existing <br /> stations with extensive historical data. Historical stream gauging data is reported in this <br /> document and discharge data is complete through the 2017 water year (October 2016 — <br /> September 2017). <br /> The USGS surface water data are available to the public from the USGS web site at <br /> http://co.water.usgs.gov. Tables 6 and 7 summarize key 2017 water year data for <br /> surface water near the NS site. <br /> A review of USGS stream water quality data indicated no significant change in stream <br /> water quality during 2017. The 2017 data showed a decrease in precipitation amounts <br /> at the NS location compared to 2016. The water year data discharge (cfs) in this area <br /> indicated a similar decrease in average stream discharge levels from 2016 to 2017. <br /> The 2017 discharge (cfs) data is similar to discharge levels measured during the 2012 <br /> through 2015 years. The 2017 Specific Conductance data from USGS for all four <br /> stations was within the range values for the period of record. The 2017 water <br /> temperature values were within the range of historic data. No effect on stream water <br /> quality was noted from any of the NS operations. <br /> DAUB&ASSOCIATES. INC. .. 22 January 2018 <br />