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Mr. David Betty November 24, 1993 Page 5 anticipates access to the new database beginning in January, 1994. In the station summaries included with this submittal, AHR omissions are underlined to enable the Division to more easily identify those instances. The current database format is not constructed to not allow entry of conmients. Zn many instances, sites were visited but were not observed discharging so no additional data was collected. A notation indicating no discharge was occurring could not be added to the database so only a date appears when a non~iischarging site was visited. It is typical for surface water features to progressively dry out as the monitoring season progresses. It has been ODVOC's experience that features which stop discharging early in the season are unlikely to renew discharge as the year progresses. For this reason, less emphasis was placed upon monitoring features once observed without discharge. The nature of the anticipated potential mine impacts to surface and shallaa groundwater hydrology features is primarily physical. Subsidence phenomena can reasonably be expected to effect the quantity of water emanating from a particular source (spring) or collecting at a particular point (pond or wlluvial deposit). However, the chemical balance of particular surface and shallow groundwater features is generally not anticipated to show discernable long-term mine impacts unless waters of a differing origin are swmhow introduced into the system. No hydrostatic conditions are known to exist in the Orchard Valley mine which could cause this type of mixing. For this reason, monitoring efforts in 1992 were focused on doc~mpnting the presence or absence of physical impacts to particular features. Ponds were checked to see if they were still ponding and springs were checked to see if they were still functioning as water sources. Less emphasis was placed on obtaining quality information particularly when extensive water quality information was already available. Flora magnitudes associated with the majority of monitored features >n the permit area are extremely low and subject to natural variation. Many features have extremely diffuse sources of flora which occur as boggy areas or areally extensive seeps which becwne increasingly difficult to maac~„-e as vegetation cover and livestock utilization increases throughout the year. Flow patterns are constantly subject to change simply frcan the influence of livestockc plodding through the flow source areas. Accurate measurement arcs quality sampling of these types of features is difficult and subject to variation deperrling upon the specific conditions encountered on any given day. On the enclosed listings, sites with a "1" superscript are those that OOVCC believes should be dropped permanently frwn the monitoring program. The sites with a "2° superscript are those that OOVCC believes should be temporarily dropped from the monitoring program until such time as the East mine becomes active again. Again, collected data which was mnitted from the 1992 AHR is underlined. In reviewing this listing, the reader is referred to Map No. 4-1 (enclosed) which shows the location of most stations and the extent of mining