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There will be no detectable change in runoff or flow characteris- <br />• tics on other surrounding watersheds. A11 surface Facilities will <br />be in the Colorado River watershed. During the first five years, <br />mining will only occur in the Colorado River drainage and no other. <br />4.6.3.2 Ground Water <br />9.6.3.2.1 Mine Area <br />Exploration drilling identified four water-bearing zones or poten- <br />tial water-bearing zones in the Permit Area. These are in as- <br />cending order, the Rollins Sandstone, the wheeler Coal, and the <br />Upper and Middle sandstone. In addition, a zone of perched ground <br />water has been identified in some portions of the permit area above <br />these water-bearing zones. <br />Only one water-bearing zone will be impacted by tt~e underground <br />mine. However, this impact will be limited because the deepest <br />• coal to be removed will be from an elevation of 5972 feet, and <br />since the Wheeler Coal is unsaturated above an elevation of 6080 <br />feet, removal of the water-bearing zone itself will only occur <br />between 6080 feet and approximately 5972 feet, or approximately 108 <br />feet of saturated material, measured along the dip plane. <br />The relative proportions of recharge to this water-bearing zone <br />from leakage across bedding planes versus the coal outcrop is not <br />known. However, removal of the coal above the saturated portion of <br />the seam should have little effect on the quantity of recharge <br />normally received from the coal outcrop because the resulting <br />permeability of the rubble zone will probably be greater than that <br />of the undisturbed coal (Appendix 9.6-1). water quality, however, <br />may be effected because of the water's access to fresh rock sur- <br />faces as it moves through the rubble zone. However, the nature of <br />the resultant water quality throughout the area in the various <br />geologic units is very similar (Figure 3.3-12), suggesting similar <br />• NCIG - Coal Ridge #1 4-81 ABC/1145/910509 <br />7R- 7 <br />