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down dip and then down the plunge of the syncline. Within the central and <br />southern portion of the mine plan area, the groundwater moves in a more <br />southerly direction towards the White River, in response to the permeable <br />fracture zones. The applicant prepared adequate maps of the potentiometric <br />surface of all three bedrock aquifers showing ground water movement in the mine <br />plan area. <br />Aquifer properties were determined by pumping tests and recovery tests in each <br />of the bedrock formations. Observation and test wells were constructed to <br />isolate each zone by the use of packers within the wells. Five alluvial wells <br />were also drilled for testing and monitoring. Of the five test wells in which <br />the bedrock aquifers were isolated by packers, none had a specific capacity <br />greater than .31 gpm/ft., which is very low. A relatively higher yield was <br />produced in an isolated massive sandstone layer in the eastern portion of the <br />mine plan area; however, the specific capacity of '.31 was still very low. <br />Within the alluvial aquifer of the White River, the specific capacity ranged <br />from .O1 to 13.9 gpm/ft. The higher specific capacity indicates that this <br />portion of the alluvium may be useful as a water supply. The water quality is <br />poor, however, with a high concentration of total dissolved solids, and high <br />pH. For further details on the hydrologic properties of the aquifers, see <br />Chapter II, Part C of the application. <br />Due to the low specific capacity of the bedrock water bearing zones in the mine <br />plan area, the quantity of water which would be discharged to the White River <br />and its tributaries is very low. The applicant has estimated that total <br />discharge could be 1.3 gpm through the bedrock aquifers to the White River, <br />which is less than a tenth of a percent of the base flow of the river. <br />B. Description of the Applicant's Proposal <br />Minis Dlan <br />The thickness of the strata overlying the coal ranges from 100 feet in the <br />western portion~of the mine plan area to a 1000 feet and deeper in the eastern <br />and northern areas. Two entries will be constructed during the permit teen, <br />the D-Portal and the Ventilation Entry Area. Both are located in Scullion <br />3 <br />