PERMFILE68811 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

State Req. descriptions of the water bearing zones are given in Appendix 7-I and in • the Geologic Section (Tab 6) of this permit application. For the purpose of this permit, an aquifer is defined as a zone, stratum, or group of strata that can store and transmit water for beneficial use (CMLRB Regulations, 1980). This definition will be applied to water bearing strata at the Seneca II Mine in two ways: I. Water quality of all saturated strata in the permit area will be compared to state and federal water quality standards (Table 7-4) to determine its potential beneficial use; and 2. Water quantity will be evaluated for all saturated strata using yield and aquifer pump test data to demonstrate its ability to store and transmit i water for beneficial use. Few criteria exist which allow a quantitative assessment of water quan- • City for beneficial use. Figure 7-2 is a guide used by the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation to evaluate well poten- tial as a function of transmissivity and specific capacity. Using the transmissivity values given in Table 7-14, well potential in the general area of the mine is rated fair to infeasible for domestic use and poor for irrigation. This view is supported by the fact tfiat many lending institu- tions in Routt County require a minimum yield of 5 gpm for new home- building loans. Well yield requirements for livestock use are generally lower and commonly range from I to 2 gpm (Roy Steffan, Colorado Division of Water Resources, personal communication). It should be noted however that the Colorado Division of Water Resources does not specify any minimum yield as unsuitable for a specific use. In view of this discussion, ~turoted strata will be termed an aquifer by definition when sustained well yields exceed 0.5 gpm and when water quality is minimally suitable for livestock use. This estimate is very • conservative considering possible worst case situations involving 7-16 Revised 5/27/81