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., :, Water has been measured discharging from the old Victory No. 1 portal during the spring of 1985 at up to 25 gallons per minute (gal/min). A water quality sample taken in March, 1985 by the applicant indicates that this sodium-magnesium/sulfate water is of extremely poor quality. This water exceeds either EPA, Colorado Department of Health, or ML RD effluent limits for iron, manganese, sulfate, and total dissolved solids. An explanation for this quality difference is not readily available. Assuming that the geochemical composition of the Menefee does not significantly differ or either side of Coal Gulch, the difference in water quality is probably a function of time and quantity of flow. Subsidence fractures and trough depressions were observed above the Victory No. 3 Mine at an elevation of about 7,340 (portal elevation is about 7,080', a difference of approximately 260'). These fractures parallel the natural slope of the ridge crest, and are located about 60' below the crest. Length of the fracture zone is 300'. These cracks intercept runoff from the top of the ridge crest, and some overland flow during precipitation events. This capture of surface drainage can not account for the volumes of water being discharged from the abandoned portals, therefore, another source of water must be present. Possible sources of this water include: 1) Cliff House Sandstone, 2) Menefee coal seams, 3) Perched Menefee aquifers. In the Menefee it is postulated that perched aquifers exist due to the interbedded and lenticular nature of the formation. The discharge from the mines may be caused by the dewatering of a perched zone due to cracking or fracturing of the low permeability lens. This would account for water drainage, but a sustained flow of relatively large volumes of water from a perched system on a yearly basis seems unlikely. Water draining from Menefee coal seams is contributing some water to the abandoned mines. Seeps were observed in April, 1985 issuing from coal/sandstone-shale contacts along Highway 160 and at the Coal Gulch highwall. At only one spot along the highwall was the flow large enough to be measured; this spring was discharging less than 1 gal/min. The entire highwall face appeared to be discharging less than 5 gal/min just after peak flow in local streams, so it may be assumed that these seeps do not flow much more than was observed. Subsidence, as previously documented, has occurred at the Coal Gulch site. Fracturing, bulking, and bed separation are all inter-related characteristics of subsidence. Fracturing reaches the surface at the mine site, while bulking and bed separation may penetrate the lower Cliff House Sandstone. This would be particularly true if the upper Menefee coal seam ("C" seam) has or will be mined.