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Portal spring, the similaz spring at the Bowie No. 2 Mine and compare the waters. To <br />make the results more defensible, the sampling could be done under the supervision of <br />the Division. It may also be helpful to do another set of samples along the North Fork of <br />the Gunnison River up and downstream of the outfall from the spring discharge. This <br />would indicate what, if any, impact was coming from the discharge. There is also a <br />theory that the water may be natural, hot spring water that is coming to the surface and <br />maybe picking up some organics along the way. Testing of some of the local hot spring <br />water and comparing them to the portal spring water may prove helpful. <br />Bear could also calculate the volume of the mined-out B-Seam workings then determine <br />the length of time ii would take to fill the mine to the elevation of the Edwards Portals <br />(based on the measured inflows and dischazges as reported in the AHRs) and the probable <br />elevation of the water today. If the volume of the mine is much greater than the amount <br />of water that possible flowed into the mine since 1995, this may help to show that the <br />water is not dischazging from the mine. <br />A final thought, I think that it may be difficult to continue our jurisdiction and <br />enforcement of a dischazge that we cannot prove is related to the Bear No. 3 Mine. On <br />the contrary, I think that a preponderance of evidence points to the water not coming <br />from the Beaz Mine. I think a meeting with Bear, Stover and a representative of WQCD, <br />probably on site, would be helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions <br />regazding this issue, my findings and my conclusions. <br />cc: Sandy Brown <br />