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West Elk Mine <br />• Most of the streams aze ephemeral or intermittent at best, and nearly all of the springs are ephemeral <br />except in the wettest yeazs. The nine yeazs of baseline data cleazly indicate that there is no reason to <br />attempt to sample these locations in the dead of winter. The adverse conditions encountered in the <br />remote azeas of the West Elk Mine lease area severely hamper sampling procedures and influence <br />the collection of meaningful data. As a result, by restricting sampling to the periods of flow and <br />ensuring sample integrity, MCC will be able to provide meaningful data to the agency while <br />reducing the costs associated with collecting unnecessary data or data that is not meaningful. <br />MCC has selected the water quality pazameters above and in Table 5 for routine measurement <br />because they aze most commonly associated with coal mining impact on water quality. Annual full- <br />suite monitoring will allow MCC to identify possible mining-induced changes in water quality. <br />Monitoring data, along with a discussion of any impacts observed or projected, will be provided in <br />an Annual Hydrology Report to be submitted by Apri130 each year. <br />Surface and underground protection measures for streams aze presented in Section 2.05.6(6). <br />Augmentation and other mitigation measures for surface water rights that may be impacted aze <br />presented earlier in this section. <br />S ra inQs <br />Baseline data for springs aze also being obtained as presented in Secfion 2.04.7, and more <br />specifically, on Table 5. The spring resources that aze monitored or proposed for monitoring aze <br />• shown on Map 34. <br />Monitoring to determine the hydrologic consequences to springs is by seasonal measurements (three <br />times per yeaz to correspond to the start of spring runoff, the peak spring runoff, and the fall low <br />flow) are taken of spring flow, pH, conductivity, and temperature. Annually, during the second <br />sampling period, springs aze additionally monitored for laboratory analyses of total dissolved solids <br />(TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), calcium, magnesium, sodium, SAR, hazdness, bicarbonate, <br />chloride, nitrate/nitrite, phosphate (POza as P), sulfate, iron (total and dissolved), manganese (total <br />and dissolved), aluminum (dissolved), azsenic (total recoverable), cadmium, copper, lead, mercury <br />(total recoverable), molybdenum, selenium (total recoverable), and zinc. All parameters aze <br />analyzed for their dissolved form unless stated otherwise. <br />A seasonal, rather than quarterly or semi-annual spring flow and water quality monitoring schedule <br />was instituted for a variety of reasons. The primary reason for selecting seasonal sampling in the <br />case of spring flows, these are the only periods of measurable flow. Most of the springs are <br />ephemeral or intermittent at best, except in the wettest years. The spring flow baseline data, <br />summarized graphically in the Annual Hydrology Report, cleazly indicate that there is no reason to <br />attempt to sample these locations in the dead of winter. The adverse conditions encountered in the <br />remote azeas of West Elk Mine lease azea severely hamper sampling procedures and influence the <br />collection of meaningful data. As a result, by restricting sampling to the periods of flow and <br />ensuring sample integrity, MCC will be able to provide meaningful data to the agency while <br />reducing the costs associated with collecting unnecessary or data that is not meaningful. <br />• <br />2.05-255 Revised November 1004 PRIG <br />