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feet, respectively. Because the drawdowns due to pit inflows will be mostly <br />contained within the leasehold area, and adjacent water users are located <br />beyond the one foot drawdown contours, no significant impact on <br />groundwater use due to pit inflows is predicted. <br />Imaacts of Production Well <br />Seneca Coal Company predicted that maximum drawdowns in the Trout <br />Creek aquifer resulting from nine yeazs of pumping in the Yoast Production <br />Well would be 186 feet. After 20 years of recovery, the residual drawdown <br />within one mile of the well is predicted to be less than two feet. The radial <br />distance to the one foot drawdown contour after 20 yeazs of pumping was <br />predicted to be 10 miles. The only known Trout Creek wells within this <br />radius are associated with the Twentymile Coal iVline and are between seven <br />and ten mile from the proposed Yoast Mine well. The drawdown at this <br />distance from the Yoast Mine well should not significantly impact these <br />wells. <br />Streamflow depletions in the Yampa River, Fish Creek, Middle Creek and <br />Trout Creek channels due to changes in the groundwater regime were all <br />predicted to be less than 0.55 acre-feet per year. However, Streamflow <br />depletions in Sage Creek and Grassy Creek were predicted to be higher: 4.9 <br />acre-feet per year in Sage Creek and 5.8 acre-feet per year in Grassy Creek. <br />Imoact of Replaced moil on Groundwater <br />Seneca Coal Company predicted that the replaced spoil would have a 25% <br />higher hydraulic conductivity than the undisturbed material. Other than that, <br />the primary effect on groundwater would be degradation of quality with <br />respect to total dissolved solids (TDS). <br />Seneca Coal Company predicted that the increase in TDS concentrations in <br />the bedrock aquifers will range from 70% in the Wadge Overburden to over <br />300% in the Wadge Coal. These predictions are for groundwater in close <br />proximity to the resaturated spoil, within the permit area. As groundwater <br />migrates away from the resaturated spoil, mixing, dilution from unaffected <br />recharge, and geochemical changes will decrease the TDS concentrations. <br />Well yields in these bedrock units, the Wadge Coal and Overburden and the <br />Wolf Creek Coal and Overburden, are insufficient for irrigation purposes. <br />The alluvial aquifers that will be affected by the resaturated spoil include the <br />Armand Draw, Upper Grassy Creek, Lower Grassy Creek, and Sage Creek <br />alluvium. Within the Grassy Creek basin, above the confluence with <br />Scotchman's Gulch, the magnitude of the TDS increase will be high <br />immediately below the resaturated spoil, but will be undetectable a short <br />Yo~t~ Kline 75 March 6, 2001 <br />