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exceed one ton per day or 350 tons per year, which ever is less. These • loading rates and projections for increased loading exceed those limits. During our last renewal of our CDPS Permit C-0027146, this issue was raised and a salt elimination or minimization study was initiated. Appendix 17-2 contains our response to the State Health Department and their letter exempting us from the limitations. We expect this issue to be reviewed during subsequent renewals. The 1993-94 discharge from the Roadside South Portal represented 0.086% of the TDS in the river. This value is expected to slowly increase to as much as double, as mining operations expose more area. Once operations cease at the mine, discharge is expected to continue, due to isolated inflow sources being above the level of the river. The total TDS discharge is then expected to decrease slightly as dewatering slows and flushing of minerals from exposed rock continues. Monitoring results of TDS levels in mine discharge from Outfall 002 since December 1992 showed a sharp decline for the first year and a • gradual decline since then. At the Roadside North Portal, the 1993-94 discharge represented 0.029% of the TDS in the river. As mining progresses deeper than the level of the river, inflows are expected to increase thereby increasing the TDS discharged. The TDS discharge may double by the end of the life of the mine. Once the mine is sealed, the water level is expected to stabilize at the level of the river which is 50 feet below the final surface contours over the sealed portals. Due to strict discharge permit restrictions on suspended solids, mine discharge and pond discharge will typically have fewer suspended solids than the river. The total iron levels, typically less than 1 mg/I in the mine discharge, is expected to have minimal affect on the river water quality. 17-2 (Rev. 12/16/96)