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Mayo and Aasoelaies, LC <br />Comparison of West Elk Mine Fault-Discharge Water with Discharge <br />Water from the Edwards Mioe Portal, Somerset, Colorado <br />Introduction <br />This report describes the relationship between the water, which is primarily fault-related <br />groundwater, that is stored in the NW Panels sealed sump of West Elk Mine (WEM) and <br />groundwater that discharges from the spring at [he portal of the Edwards Mine. <br />The Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (CDMG) issued WEM a Notice of <br />Violation (NOV) on November 26, 1997. The NOV chazges that thermal, fault-related <br />groundwater stored in the NW Panels sealed sump of the WEM has seeped across the barrier <br />separating WEM workings from abandoned B-seam workings in Bear Mine No. 3. The NOV <br />also charges that this thermal water migrates from Bear Mine No. 3 into the abandoned <br />workings of the Edwards B-seam mine and ultimately dischazges from what is believed to be <br />a sealed portal of the Edwards Mine. The discharge location from the Edwards Mine is <br />herein referred to as the Edwards portal spring (Figure I). It is our understanding that the <br />idea of rapid and active hydraulic communication between the NW Panels sealed sump area <br />and Edwards portal spring is largely based on similar temperatures offault-related <br />groundwater and of water issuing from the Edwards portal spring. <br />This report is based on our analysis of the fault-related groundwaters in the WEM, <br />groundwater samples collected from the Lone Pine Seal (7 NWLP) and the Edwazds portal <br />spring, documents provided by West Elk Mine, and extensive discussion with Dr. Robert <br />Weiner of Wright Water Engineers, Inc. <br />Groundwater Storage in NW Panels Sealed Sump <br />In November 1996, WEM began storing water from the B-East Mains fault (BEM fault) in <br />the NW Panels sealed sump (Figure 1). Water from the BEM fault has been discharged into <br />the NW Panels sealed sump until recently when pumping to the sump ceased. <br />During mine development work on January 20, 1997, the mine floor catastrophically blew <br />out as approximately 8,000 gpm of water instantaneously discharged from the floor of entry 2 <br />of the 14 Southeast Headgate (14 SEHG-E2). 14 SEHG was previously known as 1 <br />Southeast Headgate (1 SEHG). This groundwater discharge is associated with the 14 SEHG <br />fault (Figure 2). During the next several days the discharge rate from the 14 SEHG fault <br />declined greatly and dropped to approximately 1,000 gpm within 2 weeks. The discharge <br />rate further declined to about 500 gpm by March 2, 1997 and is currently about 400 gpm. As <br />of June 1, 1997 approximately 300 acre feet of groundwater had issued from the fault. In <br />January 1997 Mayo and Associates initiated a study of [he origin of all fault-related <br />edwspr.doc 1 20 ]anuary 1998 <br />