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West Elk Mine(C-1980-007) MT-9 <br /> Fork, drain the southern portion of the permit area. Deep Creek drains the eastern portion of the <br /> permit area. Minnesota Creek enters the North Fork of the Gunnison River near Paonia. The overall <br /> drainage exhibits a dendritic drainage pattern with steep channels. Horse Creek, South Prong of the <br /> East Fork, and Deep Creek are perennial streams. Lick Creek, Upper Dry Fork, upper Sylvester Gulch <br /> and Gribble Gulch are ephemeral streams. Minnesota Reservoir controls much of the flow in the <br /> lower Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek, and Beaver Reservoir controls the flow in the East Fork of <br /> Minnesota Creek. Lone Pine Gulch has no evidence of recent flow; therefore, no gaging station has <br /> been constructed. Even when all of the six gaged watersheds were found to be flowing, Lone Pine <br /> Gulch showed no flow or evidence of flow. Raven Creek flows through the extreme northeast corner <br /> of the permit area, but a stipulation of federal coal lease COC-67011 expressly forbids mining <br /> activities to expand the affected area into the riparian zone of the creek. <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 83 <br /> different springs within the existing permit area in 1999. From the identified springs, 65% of the <br /> cumulative discharge volume comes from superficial springs in alluvium and/or colluvium. Only 5% of <br /> the discharge comes from units of the Upper and Lower Coal member. The flow rates of these <br /> springs are highly seasonal with peak flows occurring during wet weather conditions. <br /> Reservoirs and stock ponds also occur within or near the permit area. Minnesota Reservoir, on the <br /> Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek, is centrally located within the coal permit area. Beaver Reservoir, on <br /> the East Fork of Minnesota Creek, is located near the southwestern boundary of the permit area. <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 application packet (PAP) shows the locations of the known stock water ponds. These ponds <br /> generally do not represent adjudicated water rights or perennial flows. Within the Gunnison National <br /> Forest, the ponds are managed for seasonal use by the U.S. Forest Service. <br /> Exhibit 32B of the PAP describes wetlands and riparian areas in the permit area. There are estimated <br /> to be approximately 77 acres of wetlands (as defined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) in the <br /> permit area. Most of the wetlands are found in drainage channels, although there are small, isolated <br /> wetlands on the hillsides where springs and seeps locally emerge as a result of landslides/sumps. <br /> There are an estimated 104 acres of riparian areas in the permit area. <br /> Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plan <br /> The West Elk Mine leasehold consists of mineable coal reserves in seven Federal coal leases, one <br /> private lease and other fee coal properties. Coal production of 3-6 million tons was projected <br /> annually from 2018 through 2023. Total production of 3,419,612 tons was reported in 2023, and <br /> 3,702,937 tons was reported in 2024. The majority of coal is produced using the longwall mining <br /> method, but some coal is produced through the development of mains and gate roads. In 2024, <br /> Page 8 of 14 <br />