2020-03-30_HYDROLOGY - M1981021 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

SUNDAY MINE COMPLEX-HYDROGEOLOGIC REPORT Dolores River, several water right diversions are present. The community of Slick Rock is located 4.9 miles to the west of the SMC. Potable water for the SMC is trucked in from off-site sources by a water supply contractor. In accordance with a Colorado Well Permit under the Division of Water Resources (DWR), PRM may use water produced in the mines for industrial purposes. PRM may use this water for drilling and dust suppression within the underground workings. CDM and Denison (2012) reported that prior to 2009, approximately 400 gallons per day of groundwater was pumped from the base of West Sunday Mine to several other areas within the SMC (excluding the Topaz mine). Figure 6-1 shows permitted wells and water right diversions in outlying area of the SMC as obtained from DWR's online database. One BLM well (permit no. 150887) is located on BLM lands in Disappointment Valley. The well was drilled in 1950, probably for stock watering. The well was completed in the Dakota Sandstone/Burro Canyon Formation. A discussion with a local rancher revealed that water levels in this well were too low to practically develop that the well has not been used for decades. The Tres Rios Field Office Resource Management Plan (RMP) states several desired conditions that are related to water resources and include: 1) The Dolores River system remains a primary water source in order to meet domestic and agricultural needs while, at the same time, contributing a wide array of recreational, ecological, and aesthetic services; 2) Collaborative forest health and rangeland management practices reduce wildfire hazards, contribute to the viability of private ranch lands, and sustain ecosystem services (including watershed health and wildlife habitat); 3) Mining and mineral extraction would continue to occur, subject to market demand; 4) The unique soils of the gypsum lands in the Dolores area (including portions of Big Gypsum Valley, Little Gypsum Valley, and the Spring Creek area) are intact and have the soil productivity necessary in order to protect the rare biota associated with them; and 5) Salinity and sediment contributions of the Dolores River tributaries (including Disappointment, Big Gypsum, Little Gypsum, and Dry Creeks) are reduced through an integrated activity approach that achieves reduced erosion and improves land health. The RMP also states that the northwest corner of the Tres Rios Field Office (TRFO) geographic area is mostly BLM public lands, including Dry Creek Basin and Big Gypsum Valley in the North Canyonlands Section. The geology in the area (sedimentary shale and sandstone formations) is largely responsible for the area's water quality; surface water is considered poor being high in Western Water& Land, Inc. 14