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• Surface and groundwater resources in the general area of the mine are limited. There is little <br />development of resources. Those resources which are developed are limited in scope and in <br />quantity. A few wells have been constructed into the fine grain sandstones of the Williams <br />Fork Formation or into fractured parts of the Mancos Shale. These wells typically yield less <br />than five gallons per minute (gpm) and their uses are limited to domestic and/or livestock <br />supplies. Surface water development in the region is limited to irrigation and consists of both <br />direct flow and storage rights. Most of the surface water development occurs in the valley of <br />the Yampa River east of Craig, Colorado. However, this general area of the development is <br />many miles from the mine property. <br />Permit Area <br />Groundwater on the Colowyo Nfine property occurs under perched conditions in the <br />interbedded and lenticular sandstones of the Williams Fork Formation above the coals to be <br />mined. There is no continuous, regional groundwater system on the property within the <br />stratigraphic section to be mined. Only below the floodplains of Goodspring Creek are the <br />sandstones fully saturated. The sandstones on the property that store and transmit limited <br />amounts of groundwater above the coals are lenticular and exhibit little lateral continuity. <br />Water stored in these sandstones percolates in a downdip direction by gravity and is <br />discharged to the land surface high in stream cuts as small seeps and springs. The general <br />direction of the groundwater flow on the property is controlled by the geologic structure. No <br />connection between groundwater on the mine property above the mine and surface and <br />groundwater flows in Goodspring and Taylor Creeks has been observed or documented. <br />• The lack of a regional groundwater system on the property was documented Iri a report <br />prepared by Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engineers (LRCWE, 1979). That report <br />described an investigation undertaken to determine the impact of mining on the region's <br />water quality. To complete the study, 57 springs and seeps discharging from isolated perched <br />aquifers were located and sampled. The study area included the existing mine faces and pit at <br />the time of mining, and wells and springs that were visited in earlier years. <br />• <br />2.04.7-3 <br />