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<br />the river height is from 0.5 feet to 2.0 feet. During high flow periods, the height of flow is from 2.5 <br />• to 4.0 feet. <br />The USGS Piceance Creek station is immediately before its junction with the White River which is <br />just to the east of the permit area. This data shows [hat suspended solids range from approximately <br />20 mg/liter to 3300 mg/liter, demonstrating the same wide variability of the sediment load in the <br />stream as shown for the River, depending upon the lime of year, spring thaw and summer thunder- <br />showers. The pH of the River is fairly steady from 8.2 to 8.6. Total dissolved solids range from 250- <br />1200 mg/li[er depending upon the flow quantities. Piceance Creek has approximately double the dis- <br />solved solids that the White River has at the junction. Overall, the water could be characterized as <br />average in dissolved solids although the pH is nearing the upper limit of tolerance. The Creek wan- <br />ders in a narrow floodplain which is incised up to 35 feet high until it nears the River, where it opens <br />into a wider floodplain. <br />4. Groundwater Hydrology <br />• Alluvial groundwater levels are approximately 4-6 feet from the surface in the permit area, depend- <br />ingupon the lime of year, and more importantly, depending upon the river level. Almost all of this <br />water is from the River itself since the hills immediately south of the site are in relatively imperme- <br />able layers of the Green River Shale which cannot provide much water. The gravel is approximately <br />14-20 feet thick below a relatively thick topsoil zone of 2-3 feet thickness. The shales immediately <br />below the gravel deposit prevent any recharge from the gravel into deep aquifers that might be lo- <br />catedbelow the shales. No water wells are located on the Box Elder Ranch or within any reasonable <br />distance to the permit area. No wells downstream or upstream can be can be affected by the pro- <br />posed gravel mining. The water quality of the water is expected [o be a combination of the quality of <br />the While River and Piceance Creek, which is water of pH 8.5, TDS of 750 and very low sediment <br />since the gravel will filter it out <br />• <br />Piceance Pit 7101 <br />