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Executive Summary <br />American Soda, L.L.P. is submitting this seventh Operational Quarterly Ground <br />Water Monitoring Report in compliance with E.P.A. U. I. C. Area Permit 003858- <br />00000, MLRB Hard Rock Mining Operation Permit No. M-99-002, and U. S. BLM <br />Sodium Lease Nos. C-0118328 and C-0118329 Record of Decision. The data <br />presented in this document represents the time period from April 1, 2002 through <br />June 30, 2002. <br />The present hydrologic monitoring program for the Yankee Gulch Sodium <br />Minerals Project includes monthly monitoring of over 60 water quality <br />constituents from up to 23 sampling locations including five separate aquifers. <br />Recording of water elevations and field parameters is completed in conjunction <br />with collection of the water quality samples from each well that is routinely <br />sampled. As a result of the high solids content of the dissolution aquifer, <br />sampling is only reliably successful at one dissolution sample point. The other <br />two dissolution surface wells are monitored more consistently using continuous <br />recording water level probes to distinguish water level changes. <br />One down stream private domestic ground water well is also sampled monthly <br />and precipitation data is recorded at the Piceance processing site using a tipping <br />bucket rain gage and a data logging device. <br />Before American Soda commenced mining operations, 15 months of baseline <br />ground water data was collected under the same program that continues today. <br />The current monitoring data for each well is summarized in a two page table in <br />this document. Not only is the raw data for the present reporting period included, <br />but also regulatory statistics and standards are shown for comparison and, <br />additionally, baseline and operational statistics are calculated for all data prior to <br />the reporting period. <br />