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<br />INTRODUCTION <br />Foidel Creek and its unnamed tributary lie in the Trout Creek watershed <br />of northwest Colorado in the upper Colorado River basin. They flow through <br />the eastern edge of the Yampa Coal Field. Both creeks arise near the base of <br />the Ounckley Flat Tops in the Routt National Forest. The tributary flows into <br />Foidel Creek in the vicinity of the Energy Fuels Foidel Creek Coal Mine. <br />Foidel Creek enters Middle Creek upstream of its confluence with Trout Creek. <br />The upper portion of the Foidel Creek drainage basin is well vegetated with <br />I aspen and conifers. The lower portion of the basin is more arid with sage, <br />woody shrubs and grasses on the hillsides and primarily grasses growing along <br />I the stream. In the study area, the tributary and especially Foidel Creek may <br />become intermittent during the late summer and fall seasons. The watershed <br />around the creeks is affected by agricultural practices, such as hay farming <br />and grazing, as well as coal surface mining activity. <br />Three biological sampling stations were established on the unnamed trib- <br />utary to Foidel Creek during the summer of 1980 (Fig. 1). Station 1 (NE', NW', <br />Sec. 24, T4N, R87W) is located high in the watershed upstream of coal mining <br />activity. Station 2 (SW`, SE'< Sec. 7, T4N, R86W) is located 3.2 km (2.0 mi.) <br />downstream of Station 1, below drainage from present coal mining activity. <br />I Station 3 (SW'< NE', Sec. 7, T4N, R86W) is located 0.9 km (0.6 mi.) downstream <br />~ of Station 2 below drainage from recent coal mining activity and downstream of <br />a future settling pond. This station is just upstream of the Foidel Creek <br />station sampled previously in 1975 (Dames and I4oore 1975) and 1979 (ERT/Ecology <br />Consultants, Inc.1979). <br />Four sampling stations were established on Foidel Creek during the summer <br />of 1980 (Fig. 1). Station 1 (SE'< NW', Sec. 13, T4N, R87W) is located above all <br />~ coal mining activity approximately 125 m upstream of a small reservoir. This <br />station was sampled previously in 1979 (ERT/Ecology Consultants, Inc. 1979). <br />' Station 2 (NW%, SE', Sec. 29, T5N, R861J) is located 8.1 km (5.1 mi.) downstream <br />of Station 1 just below the influence of coal mining activity. This station <br />has been sampled before in 1975 (Games and Moore 1975) and 1979 (ERT/Ecology <br />Consultants, Inc. 1979). Station 3 (SE'; SE'; Sec. 21, T5N, R86W) is located <br />1.9 km (1.2 mi.) downstream of Station 2 upstream of proposed mining activity <br />(upper Hinckle area). Station 4 (PIW', SE'; Sec. 22, T5N, R8641) is located 2.6 <br />• km (1.7 mi.) downstream of Station 3 below the potential influence of proposed <br />mining activity (lower Hinckle area). <br />-1- <br />