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Most reaches along the West Lateral lose irrigation flow to diversions, evapotranspiration and, of <br />course, seepage. The reaches that showed a loss in flow had water being withdrawn along each <br />reach through diversions on the day the study was performed, as well as significant lengths of <br />heavily vegetated bank sides. Seepage of irrigation water occurs along the entire reach of the West <br />Lateral, probably occurring at higher rates and volumes along the "ridge-top" reach where the ditch <br />was excavated through the shallow soils into the highly fractured sandstone. <br />The two reaches where the ditch featured gains in flow are portions of the general "ridge-top" <br />segment of the West Lateral. The ditch channel bottom in this reach is largely fractured and <br />weathered sandstone, and likely results in relatively large amounts of seepage. This seepage, in <br />combination with localized intensive "flooding-type" irrigation, travels laterally through the shallow <br />soils and fractured sandstone eventually flowing back into the West Lateral slightly downstream. <br />The combination of fractured, weathered sandstone channel bottoms in the ditch and localized <br />"flood-type" irrigation along these two gaining reaches likely resulted in the measured gains in flow. <br />In two different phases during 2001 and 2003, Western Fuels placed the portion of the CCC West <br />Lateral Ditch that either traverses the mine property or parallels the permit boundary on the south <br />into a two different High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines. One is a 26" pipe and the other <br />is a 12" pipe. The larger diameter pipeline, which holds the majority of the ditch water and functions <br />as the replacement for the old, open CCC West Lateral Ditch, has its intake up ditch and its <br />discharge down ditch of the mine permit area. Accordingly, the ditch water in this pipe no longer <br />has any contact with mine land nor does the mine land have any contact with the ditch water. The <br />12" pipe line shares the same intake point has the 26" pipe <br />Map 2.04.7-1A shows the location of the temporary and permanent placement HDPE pipelines. <br />The location of the temporary 26" pipe as shown, allowed mining under and adjacent to the <br />permanent CCC West Lateral Ditch location. Upon completion of reclamation regrading and <br />seeding, the pipeline was moved into approximately into the original CCC West Lateral Ditch right <br />of way. The temporary 12" pipeline was removed in the year 2006 when the mining progress <br />eliminated the need for irrigation water in advance of the mine. However, the same 12" pipeline <br />was permanently relocated and buried in the reclamation and furnishes irrigation water to fields <br />owned by WFC, Burbridge, San Miguel Power and other land owners. <br />2.04.7-42