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Elk Creek Mine (C-1981-022) MT- 7 <br />considered a regional bedrock aquifer. The only wells in the region which are completed in this aquifer <br />are located near the Hawk's Nest Mine along the North Fork. <br />Localized perched bedrock aquifers exist in the discontinuous, lenticular, fine-grained sandstones of the <br />Upper Mesaverde Formation. The amount of ground water in these sandstones is controlled by faulting <br />and fracturing of the strata (secondary porosity) and the topography of the recharge area. No known <br />wells are completed in the sandstones of the Upper Mesaverde Formation above the mine workings. <br />The valley in which the towns of Paonia and Somerset are situated is semi -arid, with annual precipitation <br />averaging about 15 inches per year. Mean annual precipitation increases with elevation, reaching over <br />40 inches per year near the summit of Mt. Owen. The May to September precipitation is five inches for <br />the lowlands and 13 inches for the mountain peaks. This indicates that snowfall patterns play an <br />important part in determining the hydrologic conditions of the area. Temperature extremes at Paonia <br />have ranged from —28T in January to 100T during July and August. The average annual temperature <br />is approximately 49T. Snowfall averages 58 inches per year. <br />The general area in which the Elk Creek Mine is located is characterized by steeply sloping mountains <br />covered either with tall shrub vegetation dominated by oakbrush and serviceberry, or stands of pinyon <br />and juniper trees. Drainages in the area are lined with riparian vegetation communities along the stream <br />banks. Some of the more level areas have been cleared and support limited livestock grazing; however, <br />for the most part, the surrounding land is undeveloped and is used primarily as wildlife habitat. <br />Recreational activities such as big game hunting, trapping, fishing, and off-road driving also occur in the <br />general area. <br />The Elk Creek portal facilities are approximately a half mile up the Elk Creek canyon from the town of <br />Somerset and are located at the contact of the alluvium of the North Fork and steep upland sedimentary <br />formations. <br />Sanborn Creek Tract portal facilities were just east of Sanborn Creek or approximately one mile east of <br />the town of Somerset. <br />Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plan <br />The Somerset and Sanborn Creek Mines, now the Elk Creek Mine, were in operation from 1902 to 2013. <br />Operations evolved from the earlier hand method of mining, to continuous mining methods, and, finally, <br />to longwall mining. <br />The conventional room and pillar mining system used continuous miners, shuttle cars, conveyors and/or <br />rail cars. All coal was transported to the surface using rail cars. Approximately 12 to 14 feet of the B <br />seam were mined in the development and retreat cycle. Annual production in the mine was <br />approximately 900,000 tons per year. <br />Once at the surface, the rail cars dumped the coal at the dump station where it was conveyed to the tipple. <br />The coal was crushed at the tipple and conveyed to the coal storage silo. The silo, a cylindrical cement <br />structure, straddled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad track and was used to load unit trains. <br />Page 7 of 14 <br />