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<br />-41- <br />Trout Creek Sandstone and Tow Creek Sandstone <br /> <br />Anticipated mining will not impact the water supplies in the Trout Creek <br />or Tow Creek sandstones. There is sufficient stratigraphic separation <br />(thickness of rock) between the mines in the Middle Coal Group, the Trout <br />Creek and Tow Creek sandstones to prevent significant impacts to ground <br />water quality in these aquifers. <br />The Trout Creek sandstone is used by the mines in the area for domestic <br />and industrial uses, and will produce small drawdowns adjacent to the <br />wells. These uses of water will not significantly impact the discharge <br />rate of Trout Creek sandstone to the surface water system. The mines <br />currently are not using ground water from the Tow Creek sandstone and, <br />therefore, will have no impact on the quantity of water in this aquifer. <br />Alluvial Aquifers <br />The potential does exist for the regional alluvial aquifers to be <br />cumulatively impacted. Many of the mines are located either adjacent to <br />or beneath these aquifers. Both water quality and water levels could be <br />affected. These are discussed individually below. <br />The Edna mining application predicts that a portion of its mine inflow <br />will come from the alluvial aquifer of Trout Creek. Water levels in the <br />aquifer could lower as much as afoot or two in the vicinity of the mine. <br />The proposed Middle Creek Mine will be located beneath the Middle Creek <br />alluvial aquifers. ,Wine dewatering practices could cause water levels to <br />drop in the aquifer. <br />The cumulative effect of these two mines on water levels in the alluvial <br />aquifers should be insignificant. None of these mines are located close <br />enough to each other such that their individual water level declines <br />would overlap. In addition, the ratio of the amount of existing water in <br />the aquifers to the expected amounts of mine inflows coming from the <br />aquifers is so large that it is unlikely that any impact, beyond the <br />immediate vicinity of the mine, would be realized. Therefore, it is not <br />expected that mining in the Trout Creek Basin will significantly affect <br />water levels in the regional alluvial aquifers in a cumulative fashion. <br />tdany of the mines in the basin have the potential to affect water quality <br />in the regional alluvial aquifers. A report by Kaman Tempo (Bishop, et <br />al., ]982) predicts that mining may cumulatively affect the water quality <br />in the Yampa River, Trout Creek, and Fish Creek. The degradation of the <br />surface water quality is a result of both mine-pond water discharges and <br />spoils-water discharges. Water in the spoils at several of the large <br />surface mines will discharge to the alluvial aquifers. During low-flow <br />periods, the alluvial aquifers discharge to the streams providing must of <br />the base flow. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that if the surface <br />