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3. Surface Hydrology • • The permit area is located on the top of the first shallow terrace above the While River. The River makes a sharp bend just north of the property and further bends to the south on the west side of the permit area. Piceance Creek enters the White River approximately 700 feet east of the permit boundary. Piceance Creek is a perennial stream that drains the north side of the Roan Plateau. A cat- tail wetland is located approximately 50 feet north of the northern border of the permit boundary. This wetland is approximately 2 feet lower than the elevation of the meadow and appears to be an old channel of the River [hat was bypassed years ago when the River probably experienced a large flood.. For this reason, it is concluded that the majority of the water feeding the wetland is coming from the River upstream to the east of the permit area. [n July of 2001, a site inspection revealed that the wetland was tmly wet at ground level and appeared very healthy. Behind this wetland is a slightly higher mound (2' to 3' higher than the wetland) which is home to a group of cottonwood trees. North of this tree grove is the south bank of the River. Maps B-1 and B-2 show the existing wetland, the 100 year floodplain, the White River and Piceance Creek east of the permit area. As explained in the mining plan, the operator will take steps to ensure that this wetland is protected. Since the majority of the permit area is within the floodplain of the River, the Corps of Engineer's office in Grand Junction was contacted on this issue and the issue of the wetland. Their approval letter with conditions is enclosed in Appendix E. Away from the floodplain meadow, which has been historically irrigated by the landowner, the sur- rounding hills in the Green River shale are relatively barren with poor soil and vegetation. The 100 year 24 hour rainfall event for this area is only 2.6 inches. There are two USGS gaging stations in the area, one on the White River and one on Piceance Creek. Data for both of these stations is given in Appendix C. The White River shows suspended solids ranging from approximately 10 mg/liter to 3300 mg/liter, demonstrating the wide variability of the sediment load in the River depending upon the time of year, spring thaw and summer thundershow- ers. The pH of the River is fairly constant at 8.5. Total dissolved solids range from 200-500 mg/liter depending upon the flow quantities. Overall, the water could be characterized as relatively low in dissolved solids although the pH is nearing the upper limit of tolerance. During low flow periods, C~ Piceance Pit 7101