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and well development costs there is little or no possibility the aquifers below the mine <br />area will support future alternative land uses. This is because the costs to drill and <br />produce water from aquifers on BLM and USDA-FS managed lands will exceed 300 feet <br />in depth, will be costly, the water quality poor (Bowie Permit Documents-12/I 1/2001) <br />(total dissolved solids (TDS) levels could exceed 5,000 mg/1), and well production rates <br />will likely be less than 10 gallons per minute and fransmissivities are equal to or less than <br />1750 gallons per day per foot. (Colorado Westmoreland, Inc. 1982) and where Wright <br />Water Engineers tested a well in March of 1979 where the sustain yields would be less <br />than one gallon a minute. (Wright Water Engineers, Correspondence to Jack Cline <br />Colorado Westmoreland, 1979). Table 1 summarizes groundwater mine production <br />where the total water yield from the underground operation ranges from 7 to 50 gallons <br />per minute (gpm) and annually averaging less than 30 gpm. <br />4.2 Geological Setting <br />Coal is mined from the Mesaverde Formation. Geologic offset where the cover over the <br />coal can range from zero at the outcrop to over 1,000 feet deep. The strike of the coal <br />beds is north 70 degrees west (290 degrees) with a dip of 3 degrees to the northeast. Coal <br />units within this formation can be highly faulted. The geology (Figure 1), geologic <br />structure and sttatigraphic sections (Figure 2 and 3) suggest the amount of transverse <br />faulting appears to be increasing with depth. Figure 4 shows coal bed and lithologic <br />nomenclature. Figure 5 is an illustration of geologic cross section of the mine site. <br />Access to the coal from the outcrop is difficult due the extensive bum zone. <br />4.3 Hvdrologic Settine <br />Early hydrologic studies conducted by Westmoreland Resources in the Mine vicinity <br />indicate that there aze no bedrock groundwater supply wells within the permit azea. This <br />is attributed to the low permeability of the water bearing strata, the lenticular nature of <br />the sandstone strata and the generally poor quality of water. Groundwater is recharged <br />by direct infiltration and runoff at outcrops and subcrops underneath the colluvial <br />sediments where saturated. Groundwater flow follows the dip of the bedrock strata; <br />however, the flow is very slow due the low transmissivity and the limited amount of <br />water infiltrating the groundwater aquifer system. <br />Groundwater is unconfined neaz the outcrop and becomes confined down dip. <br />Groundwater in the bedrock aquifer contains bicarbonate, sodium, and sulfate with total <br />dissolved solids (TDS) ranging from 400 to over 10,000 mg/1. TDS concentration <br />increases with depth. <br />As noted by Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DBMS) in its document <br />entitled "Proposed Decision and Findings for Compliance for a Mining and Reclamation <br />Permit-Permit Revision I3o 9-October I1, 2005", the impacts to groundwater "within the <br />permit azea should be minimal, due to the relative lack of useable groundwater and due <br />the vertical separation which exists" between coal seams and the "Rollins Sandstone <br />which [is] located considerably below the mining elevation (Refer to Figure 1) Local <br />alluvial systems downgradient from the mine should not receive sufficient mine water <br />drainage to create any impacts." Water produced from the areas historically or currently <br />