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r~ <br />U <br />GROUND WATER HYDROLOGY <br />The site as mentioned earlier is high up on a mountain at approx- <br /> <br />• <br />imately 9,200 feet in elevation. The geology consists of Cretaceous <br />sediments of the Mesa Verde formation. The coal is mined from Bed No. 2 <br />(Bed C). Directly overlying ,the coal is a sandstone and siltstone unit <br />of the Mesa Verde that varies in thickness from 8 to 12 feet. The <br />regional dip is 3 degrees Northwest; however, there are local variations <br />within the mine. An on-site inspection of the underground workings of <br />the mine revealed very little seepage from the mine itself. No seepage <br />was found from the sandstone over the mine. Some minor seepage was <br />found in the walls in the coal. It is believed that what seepage and <br />water that is in the mine is the product of water moving through frac- <br />tures in the coal and not through the sandstones. It is also signifi- <br />cant to note that the out-crop of the sandstone and the coal is in the <br />immediate area of the mine only a few hundred feet below the top of the <br />mountain. Therefore, there is very little recharge area for any of , <br />these units in the vicinity. For these reasons, it is believed that <br />neither the sandstone overlying the mine nor the coal could be considered <br />viable aquifers. The discharge was measured at one point in the mine at <br />~e and one-half gallons per minute. It is our opinion that this flow <br />~- _ _ <br />is insignificant and will not effect any wells or other rights of the <br />area. It is also significant to note that the water flows down-dip in <br />the mine and eventually goes through a concrete block seal and into the <br />Nu mine where it subsequently flows down-dip and discharges on the north- <br />west side of the mountain. This water has been appropriated and put to <br />5 <br />