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• into the North Fork River. The largest of these is Lone <br />Pine gulch. All have ephemeral stream flow. <br />The North Fork is slightly alkaline with dissolved solids <br />concentrations increasing downstream primarily due to <br />agricultural return flows. Nutrient levels (ammonia, <br />nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate) are not excessively high. <br />With the exception of occasionally anomalous iron levels, <br />there is no evidence of high dissolved metals content. <br />Several categories of potential aquifers occur in the <br />Somerset coal field. These are: 1) the alluvial and terrace <br />deposits associated with the North Fork of the Gunnison <br />River; 2) the localized, shallow alluvium along creeks <br />tributary to the North Fork; 3) the discontinuous, <br />lenticular and laminar sandstones of the Mesa Verde <br />Formation; 4) the Rollins sandstone; 5) the coal seams; and <br />6) shallow colluvial surficial deposits. <br />The most important source of ground water in the region is <br />associated with the alluvium of the North Fork of the <br />Gunnison River. Between 30 to 80 feet of alluvial sand and <br />gravel exist along the North Fork. Numerous wells are <br />developed in the alluvium with an average yield of 17.4 gpm. <br />Three water quality analyses were conducted for the Bear No. <br />• 3 on three wells completed in the North Fork alluvium. Two <br />wells exceeded drinking water standards for total dissolved <br />solids, sodium and sulfate. The well located closest to the <br />North fork (the Bear No. 3 - office well) showed the lowest <br />levels of these constituents. This is due to the dilution <br />of alluvial ground water by North Fork River water at this <br />well. <br />When fault and fractures are encountered within the mines in <br />the North Fork region, they generally produce mine inflows. <br />All inflows from these sources are characterized by an <br />initial surge of water which then either decreases, or <br />ceases completely with time. <br />No important inflows have been encountered at the Bear No. <br />1, 2, and 3 Mines. No discharges of mine inflow water have <br />taken place at the Bear No. 3 mine since it was opened (as <br />the Edwards mine) in 1934. <br />Three seasonal springs have been identified in the vicinity <br />of the Bear Mine permit area. The springs are primarily <br />associated with sandstones in the Barren member of the <br />Mesaverde formation. <br /> <br />10 <br />