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system. A small portion of the spoil aquifer water will rechazge the Wolf Creek <br />Coal and overburden with water which is higher in TDS than the water which <br />existed within the units prior to mining. <br />The Wadge Coal and overburden units are aquifers which have potential for local <br />use. Well yields for the Wadge Coal and overburden have been reported at between <br />2 and 5 gpm. In the vicinity of the Seneca II Mine site, both units have been used for <br />domestic and livestock purposes. <br />The Wadge Coal has been mined in the northern portion of the permit area <br />(Sand Wash Ground Water Basin) in the pas[. During previous permit terms, the <br />Wadge Coal was extracted from the southeastern portion of the permit azea within <br />the Twentymile Pazk Basin. <br />The portion of Twentymile Park in which the Seneca II Mine is located has been <br />identified as a rechazge area. As such, the potential impacts of mining will be <br />threefold: <br />(1) Interruption of the aquifer by physically removing the coal and its <br />overburden. Mining of the coal will interrupt the aquifer function upgradient <br />of Twentymile Park. This will reduce the recharge potential to the <br />down-gradient aquifer for a short period of time. <br />(2) After discreet mining areas have been backfilled, the spoils will resatura[e. <br />A portion of the spoil water will recharge the undisturbed Wadge Coal and <br />overburden immediately dr vn-gradient. This rechazge water will be high in <br />TDS and other constituents. The concentrations of these constituents will be <br />greater than that which existed in the Wadge Coal and overburden aquifer <br />prior to mining. <br />(3) It is thought that the Wadge overburden, through sub-crops and outcrops, <br />may rechazge creeks within Twentymile Basin. This recharge may be <br />directly affected by the addition of the poor quality spoil discharge water <br />during base flow conditions, or indirectly by the addition of this water to <br />associated alluvial bodies. Recharge to the surface system could potentially <br />be affected by the interruption of the aquifer due to removal by mining. <br />Furthermore, upon indirect recharge by the spoil aquifer, a plume of poor <br />quality water could diminish the water quality of the surface water system <br />within Twentymile Park. <br />31 <br />