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Executive Summa <br />American Soda, L.L.P. is submitting this 18th Quarterly Ground Water Monitoring <br />Report in compliance with E.P.A. U. I. C. Area Permit CO3858-00000, MLRB <br />Hard Rock Mining Operation Permit No. M-99-002, and U. S. BLM Sodium Lease <br />Nos. C-0118328 and C-0118329 Record of Decision. The data presented in this <br />document represents the time period from January 1, 2005 through March 31, <br />2005. The Piceance processing plant and well field were in temporary <br />suspension of production operations status and no solution mining activity <br />occurred during the report period. <br />Presently, Technical Revision #4 (TR#4) has been approved by the Colorado <br />Division of Minerals and Geology. TR #4 authorizes changes to the frequency of <br />monitoring and sampling constituents for the Piceance Creek facility during the <br />non-operational period. The modified monitoring plan was approved by the EPA <br />in the last part of March 2005. Major changes to the monitoring plan detailed in <br />the modified plan were instituted beginning April 1, 2005. During this transitional <br />time period, monitoring frequencies and constituents remaind consistent with the <br />original monitoring plan implemented in 1999 but changes will be represented in <br />the next report. <br />The reporting period hydrologic monitoring program for the Yankee Gulch <br />Sodium Minerals Project includes monthly monitoring of over 60 water quality <br />constituents from up to 23 sampling locations including five separate water <br />bearing zones. Sampling points are positioned up gradient, down gradient, cross <br />gradient, and in-panel in relation to the mining activity. Recording of water <br />elevations and field parameters is completed in conjunction with collection of the <br />water quality samples from each well that is routinely sampled. As a result of the <br />high solids content of the dissolution aquifer, sampling is only reliably successful <br />at one dissolution sample point. The completion of this well (21-3D) is in the <br />upper portion of the dissolution aquifer where dissolved solids are somewhat less <br />