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Moro and Assocla~es, LC <br />groundwater inflows into WEM. This investigation is now complete and the final report will <br />be released in early February 1998. <br />Thermal groundwater issuing from the 14 SEHG fault was pumped to the NE Tailgate sump <br />where it acquired considerable total suspended solids. From the NE Tailgate sump a portion <br />of the thermal groundwater was discharged to the surface; however, a large volume of this <br />discharge water was pumped to the NW Panels sealed sump for underground storage and <br />settling of suspended particulate matter. In March 1997 groundwater from the 14 SEHG and <br />BEM faults filled the NW Panels sealed sump to the elevation of [he ventilation seals near <br />the Lone Pine Gulch fan portal (Figure 1). Pumping to the NW Panels sealed sump was <br />discontinued a[ that time. Discharge from BEM fault has now ceased; however, water is now <br />flowing from a northeast extension of this fault in the 14 SE Tailgate. <br />Solute and Isotopic Composition of Mine Waters <br />Mean solute compositions of various mine waters are listed in Table 1. These waters include <br />samples from eight fault-related sources in WEM (Figure 2), one sample from the 7 NWLP <br />seal neaz the Lone Pine Gulch fan, one sample from the Edwards portal spring (Figure 1), and <br />one sample from a Rollins Sandstone monitoring well, LP-1 (Figure 2). Table 1 lists <br />chemical analyses in both mg L' and meq L-' reporting units. Stable and unstable isotopic <br />compositions of various mine waters are listed in Table 2. <br />Tables 1 and 2 contain four different groups of waters: <br />1. WEM in-mine fault groundwater, <br />2. WEM NW Panels sealed sump at the Lone Pine seal, <br />3. Edwards portal spring water, <br />4. Well water from the Rollins Sandstone at LP-1. <br />Each of these waters has a distinct solute composition as illustrated by the shape of their Stiff <br />diagrams (Figure 3) and their plotting locations on the Piper (1944) plot (Figure 4). Except <br />for LP-l groundwater, the key differences between these waters are summarized below. LP- <br />1 is included in the tables because it is a high SO4- water from [he Rollins Sandstone from a <br />location near the Bear Mine. It is not discussed in detail because complete laboratory <br />analysis of the composition is not available. <br />WEM Fault Growidwater <br />Although 14 SEHG fault waters may be statistically distinguished from other fault waters on <br />the basis of Na' and SO;- contents, all in-mine fault waters have similar solute compositions <br />in that they are Na'-HCO; type waters and have small concentrations of other solutes. Solute <br />differences between 14 SEHG and other fault waters are due to hydrodynamic partitioning in <br />the Rollins Sandstone. The SZH and S'SO contents of these waters, discussed below, also <br />demonstrate hydrodynamic partitioning. The two fault waters of interest to this investigation <br />are the 14 SEHG and B East Mains (BEM). These waters have mean Na` contents of ~ 50 <br />edwspr.doc 2 20 January 1998 <br />