HYDRO24192

• Permit No: C1981008
• IBM Index Class Name: Hydrology
• Doc Date: 12/5/1988
• Doc Name: NUCLA AND NUCLA EAST MINE FN C 81 008 PERMIT REVISION HYDROLOGY
• From: MLRD
• To: CARL MOUNT
• Permit Index Doc Type: OTHER GROUND WATER
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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STATE OF COLORADO
Roy Romer, Governor
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DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION
FRED R. BANTA, Director
DATE: December 5, 1988
T0: Carl Mount
FROM: J.M. Clayton
RE: Nuc:la and Nucla East Mine, File #C-81-008, Permit Revision, Hydrology
Ground Water
The usual impact on ground waters is one of increased TDS levels from
surface mining and reclamation disturbances. A great deal of hydrologic
data is available at the Nucla and Nucla East permit areas. This
includes premining data for the Nucla East permit area and data taken
during and after mining at the Nucla Mine Permit area. A monitoring
program is planned for the projected Nucla East permit area. The ground
water situation in these permit areas is characterized as being shallow,
localized bedrock aquifers. These aquifers have been historically
recharged to large measure by irrigation waters. Because of the
localized nature of these near surface aquifers, disruption of them by
mining disturbance is expected to be minimal and limited. Based on data
pre sentead by Peabody there appears to be no impact on underburden
aquifers. Only limited and localized impacts are expected on surrounding
ground crater resources.
The increased permeability of the reclaimed mining areas will give rise
to the formation of spoil springs, e.g. the spoil spring flowing near
NPDES Pond #001. This expression of ground waters can be a factor in
surface water degradation. The monitoring data from these spoil springs
show increased TDS levels. However, the routing of this water into the
surface water collection system has contained and diluted these waters.
No significant degradation of offsite surface waters is expected.
Because of the discontinuous nature of near surface aquifers and the
minimal disturbance of deeper ground water regimes, no significant
adverse impacts are expected to surrounding ground waters. It appears
that mining operations will not seriously impact ground waters outside of
the permit area.
Surface Waters
Surface water systems with the potential of being impacted by the Nucla
and Nucla East mining disturbances are Tuttle Draw, Calamity Draw, and
possibly Tower Second Park Irrigation Ditch or the l•Jest Lateral
Irrigation Ditch.
215 Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203-2273 Tel. [phone]