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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS <br />the location of the Colowyo Mine. Occasionally, a minimal amount of water is found under perched <br />conditions in noncontiguous lenticular sandstones and in fractured coal under the sandstones. No toxic <br />concentrations of acid forming materials have been found in the overburden, reclaimed slopes or surface <br />and ground water system associated with the Colowyo Mine. No adverse effects on groundwater quality <br />are expected to occur due to mine excavations or backfilling. <br />4.05.12 Protection of Groundwater Recharge Capacity <br />The reclamation plan as described in 2.05.4 will return the disturbed lands to approximately the pre - <br />mining condition; therefore, ground water recharge capacity is expected to approximate the premining <br />condition. Also, because of the minimal existence of ground water in the mining area, the mining <br />operation and subsequent reclamation should have no adverse effect on the existing ground water <br />recharge capacities. <br />The history of the ground water monitoring plan is further documented in 4.05.13. The mine has not <br />established Point of Compliance locations for ground water monitoring because of a lack of ground water. <br />The following discussion is provided to document this: <br />The aspect of monitoring ground water is dependent on whether or not there is a continuous, non - <br />perched ground water layer/zone to monitor. Since active mining at Colowyo Mine began 30 <br />years ago, the mining zone in both the East and West Pits have not encountered any significant <br />ground water, except for perched ground water. Therefore, the following is presented to clarify <br />the ground water conditions at the Colowyo Mine. <br />Geology/Topography <br />The Colowyo Mine is located in the Williams Fork Formation of the Cretaceous Mesaverde <br />Group. The Williams Fork Formation is comprised of discordant beds/units of sandstone, <br />siltstone and mudstone and coal seams, with an approximate thickness of 1,200 to 1,300 feet in <br />the mine area. Deposited in a deltaic environment, the beds vary in thickness and lateral extent <br />throughout the Colowyo Mine. The numerous coal seams also vary in thickness and lateral <br />extent. The sandstones tend to be very fine grained to fine grained and poorly sorted, with <br />various amounts of silt and clay. For the siltstones and mudstones, theses units contain various <br />amounts of finer and coarser materials. The total mined sequence in both pits is up to 450 feet <br />thick and is comprised principally of mudstones, siltstones and coals, with sandstone layers being <br />least prevalent. <br />The Williams Fork Formation conformably overlies the Iles Formation. At the top of the Iles <br />Formation is the Trout Creek Sandstone (TCSS). The TCSS is a massive, white to light gray, <br />very fine to fine grained, moderately well sorted sandstone with a thickness of between 50 and 70 <br />feet and is approximately 1,200 to 1,300 feet below the Colowyo Mine. This is the only mapped <br />continuous unit in the area of the Colowyo Mine and has been noted as being an excellent marker <br />bed for correlation work of the coal seams. Beneath the TCSS, the Iles Formation is comprised <br />of sandstones, siltstones and marine shales. <br />Two major features, the Collom Syncline and the Danforth Hills Anticline/Wilson Dome, control <br />the geologic structure in the area of Colowyo Mine. The axis of the Collom Syncline, located <br />approximately 0.5 miles north of the north edge of the reclaimed East Pit, trends west-northwest <br />(approximately N60°W) with a slight dip in the axis to the west-northwest. The Collom Syncline <br />is sub -parallel to the Axial Anticline on the north and the Danforth Hills Anticline on the south. <br />The Collom Syncline is asymmetrical, with the north flank of the syncline steeply dipping (20° - <br />Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-14 Revision Date: 8/28/17 <br />Revision No.: TR -115 <br />