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-10- <br />c Consequences of Mining and Cumulati <br />6 <br />The following discussion of probable hydrologic consequences of mining <br />has been expanded to cover all anticipated mining at the Colorado Coal <br />Mine No, 1. Since this mine is the only proposed mine within the Upper <br />Cucharas River Basin, the scope of the cumulative hydrologic impacts <br />assessment will be all anticipated mining which will occur at the Colorado <br />Coal Mine No. 1. <br />Ground Water <br />There are four potential aquifers within and adjacent to Colorado Coal <br />Mine No .I mine plan area. The potential aquifers are the Trinidad sandstone; <br />the perched interbedded and lenticular sandstones of the vermejo and Raton <br />Formations; the alluvium of Maitland and Gordon Arroyos; and the coal seams. <br />The old underground coal mines within and adjacent to the Colorado Coal <br />Mines No. 1 permit area have greatly influenced both the quality and quantity <br />of ground water. The old workings serve as conduits for ground water <br />transport, controling the direction and rate of ground water movement. <br />Aquifers and surface waters have drained into the underground mines through <br />mine subsidence related fractures and through abandoned mine shafts, air <br />vents and portals. Due to this communication between bedrock aquifers, the <br />operator. has treated the Vermejo and Raton Formations as one aquifer in <br />their analyses. This communication also may account for the alluvium of <br />the streams in the area being dry. <br />The quality of ground water, which has flooded the old mine workings, has <br />become degraded over time. Ground water which is exposed to the coals <br />and their associated roof and floor strata has reacted with sulfide minerals <br />and leached soluble salts. These reactions within the old mine workings <br />have resulted in a shift from a sodium-calcium bicarbonate type waters with <br />a low total dissolve solid loads to a sodium sulfate type waters with a <br />high total dissolved solid loads. The following parameters exceed either <br />drinking water andJor agricultural standards, Barium, Baron, Cadmium, <br />Dissolved Iron, Lead, Planganese, Sodium, Ammonium, Floride Sulfate and <br />Dissolved Solids (Table 6, Volume I and Submittal dated September 30, 1982). <br />