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additional supplies of water through augmentation of existing OMLLC <br />water rights. " <br />OMLLC will work with area landowners to restore, replace or provide reasonable <br />compensation for any significant livestock watering sources that are adversely affected <br />by the mining or proposed mining and related operations. Determination of structural <br />damage to ponds and ditches should be easy to determine with visual inspections. <br />Water Rights <br />OMLLC Water Rights Information <br />To describe OMLLC's water rights under Colorado law, Appendix 5 herein contains a <br />summary of District Court, Water Division No. 4, Case No 97 CW 138. To supply the <br />water needs of both the mining operation and the Town of Somerset, Oxbow holds water <br />tights from the North Fork of the Gunnison in the amount of 1.8 c.f.s. OMLLC has also <br />obtained orchard dry up credits from the Deer Trail ditch and water leases from the Fire <br />Mountain canal. <br />The information demonstrates that replacement or augmentation water is available and is <br />of suitable quantity, quality, seniority location and seasonally available. <br />Genera] Discussion and Conclusions <br />Because 1) the baseline information shows that there aze very limited groundwater and <br />surface water resources located within the Elk Creek lease area (see discussions <br />beginning on CDMG permit page 2.04-18), and 2) the 25° Hubbard Creek protection <br />zone is outside of the 254 angle of draw for the planned longwall mining activities in the - - - <br />vicinity of Hubbard Creek, OMLLC believes that no impacts to the hydrologic resources <br />will result from its mining and related operations. <br />It is important to note that during the preparation of the EIS it was determined that <br />groundwater flow from D seam in the Iron Point lease contributes to the perennial flow in <br />Hubbard creek (EIS page 3-49). Due to the many existing surface water and groundwater <br />resources and the plethora of water rights issues within the Iron Point lease, specific lease <br />conditions (preparation of a specific gain/loss analysis on Hubbard Creek, as well as the <br />analysis of water rights, location, source, amounts of decrees, beneficial uses, <br />appropriation and adjudication dates, etc. (per SW-1 found on EIS page 3-54)) were <br />deemed relevant to the hydrologic resources of the Iron Point coal lease tract. <br />In comparison to the Iron Point ]ease tract, as noted in the above sections, there are very <br />few hydrologic resources and no adjudicated water rights located within the Elk Creek <br />lease tract. The EIS concurs by stating on page 3-50: <br />"Given the intermittent and ephemeral nature of the drainages within the <br />Elk Creek Coal lease Tract, as well as their existing steep gradients, the <br />. thickness of overburden, and the natural geologic instability of the area, <br />subsidence would have minimal impact to these drainages. " <br />