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VI, Hydrologic Balance: Ground Water - Rules 2.04,5, 2,04.7, 2.05.3 and 4.05 <br />The operator has presented sufficient information to describe the ground water <br />regime in the vicinity of the Canadian Strip Mine. This information may be <br />found in Appendix C, Volumes I and II of the permit renewal application. <br />The entire outcrop and sub-crop of the Sudduth Coal seam near the mine and <br />adjacent areas comprises the recharge area for the coal seam. Snowmelt <br />provides the majority of the recharge to the coal seam. The estimated <br />recharge over the entire coal seam was calculated to be 4.75 acre ft/y r. No <br />wells are located in the Sudduth Coal seam, and there is only one discharge <br />point in the area, a spring at the Old Sudduth Mine located in Section 15, <br />T9N, R78W. This spring does not provide sufficient discharge to be considered <br />a significant water source. There have been no other observed springs or <br />seeps from the Sudduth Coal seam in the adjacent area. <br />The Sudduth Coal seam does not appear to discharge to or be recharged by the <br />alluvium of Williams and Bush Draws. This is evident from water table <br />elevations which are lower in the coal seam than in adjacent alluvial wells. <br />In a study by the U. S. Geological Survey, Hoffstra conducted aquifer tests <br />and reported permeability values of 0.37 gpd/ft2 in unfaulted overburden, <br />and 7.5 gpd /f t2 near faulted overburden. These values indicate that the <br />overburden is essentially a confining unit, but approaches a semi-confining <br />state in areas of secondary permeability. <br />The upper Coalmont Formation contains limited perched aquifers. These perched <br />systems typically consist of lenticular channel sands, usually less than <br />thirty feet thick. <br />An adjacent operation conducted an aquifer test of the underburden (upper <br />Pierre Shale) near the mine site. From this test, the permeability of the <br />underburden was calculated to be 0.15 gpd/ft2. A Sudduth Coal seam <br />observation well located 20 feet away from the test hole showed no drawdown <br />during pumping of the test hole, This data indicates that the Pierre Shale is <br />a confining unit that transmits little water. The test also demonstrates that <br />the Sudduth Coal is not hydraulically connected to the underlying Pierre Shale. <br />One spring has been identified near the permit area. This spring issues from <br />the contact between unconsolidated upland terrace deposits and the underlying <br />Coalmont Formation. This spring is located in an area adjacent to the <br />Canadian Strip Mine on a small tributary of the North Fork of Bolton Draw. <br />This spring feeds a small pond used for stock and wildlife watering. This <br />spring will not be affected by mining or reclamation activities since it is <br />located outside the permit boundary up slope of the operation. <br />Monitoring <br />A hydrologic monitoring program was implemented at the Canadian Strip Mine in <br />1980. The extent of this program was revised on November 18, 1985. <br />Monitoring, as defined in Stipulations 8, 9, 11 and 12 of the original permit, <br />was reduced to monitoring of ground water in the Pit 1 area. The current <br />program consists of monitoring water level and selected water quality <br />9 <br />