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This discharge area is approximately six miles north of the Twin Pines No. 2 Mine. On review of hydrologic data submitted since 1984 and compazed against the available baseline data, the Twin Pines operation has shown no effect on the groundwater hydrologic system. Surface Water -Surface water information can be located in the permit on pages 45 through 58. A summary of surface flow quantity and quality is found below. Surface water flow patterns mimic the groundwater flow, with surface water originating from the Wet Mountains to the west, then flowing along eastern trending drainages, then diverting northward to the Arkansas River. Large magnitude peak discharges are also common as a response to high intensity thunderstorms during the summer months. The drainages that originate in the Wet Mountains are perennial and the drainages that flow as a result of precipitation events are ephemeral. The estimated precipitation in the permit and adjacent azea is approximately 14 inches, most of which accumulates between April and September. Surface water quality is best near the West Mountains and north-central portion of the Canon City Coal Field. As a result of this fact, several towns divert surface water from these perennial mountain drainages for municipal use prior to the surface flow reaching the Wet Mountain Fault. As the surface flow enters the main stem of the Arkansas River system, water quality slowly deteriorates. Below Canon City, agricultural impact increases the dissolved salt concentrations. Additional information on the surface water for the permitted area can be found in Section 2.04.7 of the permit application and in Section B, "Probable Hydrologic Consequences," of this Findings Document. Climatology Climatological information is presented on pages JFSA 59 through 64 and pages 49 through 52 of the permit application. The climate of the permit area is characteristic of continental intermountain regions. Typically, the azea experiences cold winters, hot summers, low rainfall, and short growing seasons. The Twin Pines No. 2 Mine receives approximately 14 inches of precipitation, most of which falls between the months of April and September. Predominant winds are from the west and can have high velocities th the summer and winter. Average temperatures range from the mid-eighties in the summer to mid-thirties in the winter. Vegetation Vegetation information is found on pages 60 through 64, and revegetation information is found on pages 88 through 90 of the permit application. The vegetation in the permit area is classified into two types; previously mined land and pinon-juniper woodland. The previously mined land constitutes the majority of the permit area; 8 acres at the portal site and 4.2 at the sales site. Vegetation in these areas is indicative of disturbed lands with kochia and Russian thistle the dominant species. Rabbit- 11