Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Antony Waldron Page 3 September 15, 1994 <br />"Streamflow may be diminished by a reduction in spring <br />discharges. Decreases in spring basefiow to streams would be <br />caused by interception of ground water sources by subsidence <br />features. The intercepted water would remain within the North <br />Fork of the Gunnison drainage basin, but the location of surface <br />contributions could be altered. Three mines in the CHIS area <br />monitor springs and seeps for possible subsidence impacts from <br />mining - Hawk's Nest, the West Elk Mine, and Orchard Valley. <br />Hawk's Nest recorded no changes in flow while they were <br />operating, and currently they do not monitor flow." <br />Due in part to a change in personnel at SMC, the practicable <br />beginning of the 1993 spring monitoring commenced at the end of <br />June. In order to make up for this oversight, the required <br />spring monitoring was extended through June of 1994, as included <br />in Technical Revision No. 18. During the review for Technical <br />Revision No. 18, the Division required the baseline analysis to <br />be conducted, submitted, and approved prior to mining within the <br />angle of draw of Springs 1-11. SMC agreed not to perform <br />secondary mining under Springs 1-11, and subsequently agreed not <br />to mine within the angle of draw of Springs 1-6 or Springs 10 & <br />11 until the baseline monitoring and interpretation of data is <br />complete and approved by the Division. Spring monitoring data <br />for Springs 1-11 are included in this report. <br />When the present spring monitoring was begun in June 1993, effort <br />was made to locate the springs as marked on the Monitoring <br />Location Map from Western Slope Carbon Hawk's Nest Mine included <br />in the permit documents as page 2.04-50xviii. The legend <br />indicates the marking to be Approximate Spring Location. Actual <br />monitoring locations have been marked on the ground, and <br />monitored at the same locations since. <br />Spring 1 is a depression near a grove of <br />depression may have contained water when <br />previous to 1993. Data have not recorded a <br />field parameters, pH, conductivity, and <br />indicate previous monitoring of surface Ovate <br />depression. <br />aspen trees. The <br />it was monitored <br />flow. The other <br />temperature would <br />r collected in the <br />Spring 2 is possible re-emergence of water in a small ephemeral <br />drainage channel. Flows, if any, are recorded in the spring and <br />summer. Other than the high pH measurements for 1993, which are <br />suspect, the field parameters are similar to surface water. <br />Springs 3, 4, 5, & 6 are also possible re-emergence of surface <br />water in a small ephemeral drainage, with similar characteristics <br />of flow diminishing from spring to summer, moderate pH, low <br />conductivity, and variation in temperature. The only unusual <br />data are the high conductivity measurements for Springs 2 & 3 in <br />August 1983. <br />