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<br />22 <br /> <br /> <br />There are three different types of springs within the permit area: alluvial, colluvial, and bedrock <br />springs. A study of the groundwater system at the West Elk Mine by Mayo & Associates found <br />83 different springs within the existing permit area in 1999. From the identified springs, 65% of <br />the cumulative discharge volume comes from superficial springs in alluvium and/or colluvium. <br />Only 5% of the discharge comes from units of the Upper and Lower Coal member. The flow <br />rates of these springs are highly seasonal with peak flows occurring during wet weather <br />conditions. <br /> <br />Reservoirs and stock ponds also occur within or near the permit area. Minnesota Reservoir, on <br />the Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek, is centrally located within the coal permit area. Beaver <br />Reservoir on the East Fork of Minnesota Creek is located near the southwestern boundary of the <br />permit area. <br /> <br />In addition to the storage reservoirs in the area of the West Elk Mine, a total of 61 stock water <br />impoundments have been identified in or adjacent to the permit area as of 2006. Map 37 of the <br />permit document shows the locations of the known stock water ponds. These ponds generally do <br />not represent adjudicated water rights or perennial flows. Within the Gunnison National Forest, <br />the ponds are managed for seasonal use by the U.S. Forest Service. <br /> <br />Exhibit 32B of the permit application describes wetlands and riparian areas in the permit area. <br />There are estimated to be approximately 77 acres of wetlands (as defined by the U.S. Army <br />Corps of Engineers) in the permit area. Most of the wetlands are found in drainage channels, <br />although there are small, isolated wetlands on the hillsides where springs and seeps locally <br />emerge as a result of landslides/sumps. There are an estimated 104 acres of riparian areas in the <br />permit area. <br /> <br />Climatological Information - Rule 2.04.8 <br /> <br />Information regarding climate characteristics can be found in Section 2.04.3 and 2.04.8 of the <br />PAP. <br /> <br />The mine site lies within the North Fork valley near Somerset, Colorado. At the mine site, the <br />valley is narrow and steep sided and follows a general east-west orientation. Considerable <br />topographic variation across the mine site, and west central Colorado in general, results in <br />marked fluctuation in seasonal and average precipitation and temperature values for the entire <br />area. <br /> <br />The mountains of the Continental Divide provide an effective barrier to the movement of <br />moisture-laden air that reaches the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains from the Gulf of <br />Mexico. Under this influence, two basic types of climate, semi-arid and undifferentiated <br />highlands, are characteristic of the general area where the mine is situated. Temperatures can <br />range below freezing in the winter, and yet in the summer, with the exception of higher <br />elevations, can be extremely warm. The precipitation that does fall, originates from the Pacific <br />Ocean weather systems, and most frequently occurs in the winter. <br /> <br />Average annual precipitation ranges from approximately ten inches along the North Fork of the <br />Gunnison River and the lower portion of Minnesota Creek to as much as 24 inches on the flanks