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<br />The Mancos Shale, underlying the Mesaverde .Group, is a relatively impermed'ole <br />unit which separates the Mesaverde from any uhcerlying, regiona~ aquif?r;. <br />important water bearing strata identifi?d ilcr.g the Sage Creek anticline <br />Within the Mesaverde include the Wolf G ??<. .pal, Wadce ooai, and the Waage <br />coal overburden. Recharge to theca and oth?~ iquif?r; in the ir23 i; a <br />fUnCtlon Oi '.nfiltr3tlOn Of ;nGw melt and ~'ainfail dt CU:Crop; 310ng Lhe <br />dnLlCllne. Water tdp12 CCnditlOn; pr'?v31i n?ar th2 3gUlfer OU t~: rpp;, '~dhlle <br />Confined Contlitl0n; 2xi;t further downtlio. <br />Each of the identified aqui??r zones ar? hvdraulicaily tliscont`nuous .vith the <br />units above and below. Thar?for?, ea_h i::uir?r Ni1i be dISCU;;ed 3; 3 <br />secarate entity. <br />Wolf Creek Seim <br />The lowest coal in the Williams Fork Forma:ion of the Mesaverde Group is the <br />Wolf Creek seam. The Wolf Creek seam is Lhe first aquifer encountered belcw <br />the bottom of the mine pit. <br />Depth to water and avatar quality mea;ur?ments have been made at three sites in <br />dntl 3djdC?nt t0 the permit 3Y?3. Wd:er 1?v?;; In the WOif Gre?X 3t 311 thre? <br />sites exhibit confined conCitions. Decenc?~: uecn orcxim~ty to the outcrop <br />recharge df?d (pdrdlleling th2 .dCe ~r2?.'C in " .1 i..^,d' 3X1i), dnC IOCdI <br />struCtUr2, each well has varying 3illCUnti Of iedd. The weal located furthest <br />frcm the anticlinal axis (Well GW-1"-SZid-2WC> i; th? well which exhibits the <br />melt head with the amount of head deerea;ing at the other wells in r?;ccnse to <br />decreased distance to the recharge dr?a. 'h2 strati dip so steeoiy in the <br />dYea of the Seneca II-W .Mine thd: the ma:(imUiil 3mCUni Of h23d has b??n :;0 ;2r'Jed <br />as 770 feet in the downdip we'.1. rhi; h?i0 ~a; ii;o caus?d dr:?;`an fiC~.v. <br />Ground Wdt?Y f10ws from the r2Ch3rCe :0 tn? di;c^drC?, Gr In thl; C3;? from <br />the antiCiindi dal; CO the C?nr?r Cf th? ~3;in. .h?r?for?, the ma:or <br />component of flow appear; tJ Oe COwd`d Lhe .veil. <br />Apuifer tests Were performed on the t'NO updip wells during the summer of <br />1980. These test; indicat? that the Wolf Cr?ek is a fairly well confined <br />aquifer which transmits limited amounts of 'Nat?r. Gne weal was pumped at an <br />average of 1.2 gallons per minute for about 3 1/2 hours, and produced no <br />observable drawdown dt an observa`icn we'.l 20 f?et 3'Nd`%. Tran;miiiivity <br />values calculated for the Wetf Cr?e!c range `rem x.02 Ft2 per day <br />(0.149 ;dllon; per day per feet) for del' 3:JC, dhd O.OC1 Ft= oe~ day <br />(G.Ol;7 ga110ns Oer day Der fCCt; in :ne ~.vC .v2il; t?Stec. DUe t0 Lne 1~.v <br />water vi21d dnd trdn s,m~;;ivlta '/a~UeS. :.~? iLJra:ivi i`/ '/3'CE Cf the WC1~ ','2?k <br />scam '; e;timdt?d t0 Oe dbCUt 1 ;( i;-~, n?;? di''J?;, bGC~n t'3n571`;;i~''y <br />3hC itOr3tlVit%, .NOUN 300?dr t0 be 7Ui:° iO~n. -..._.~?r '?;t d3 :i, hG'ner?`, <br />dCe; ;UOSLdntl3te these value;. Due :~ t'ie nlyii~.~ ientiC'JiaY 3nC <br />discontinuous nature of the Mesaverde Group, it i; thcugh: thai trdnS,T's;''/ill <br />antl ;torativity will be aerially variabl=. <br />_ lq _ <br />