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Monitoring of surface water is limited to NPDES discharges as no other streams <br />occur within the permit area. Monitoring of the irrigation water from the La <br />Plata River will continue until the tall of 1998. <br />G. Transfer of Wetls <br />At the conclusion of mining, the two well used in the operation will be transferred <br />back to the owners at the written request of the surface owners (4.05.14). <br />H. Discharge of Water into an Underground Mine <br />No surface water will be discharged into the underground mine workings (4.05.15). <br />I. Probable Hydrological Consequences <br />The Hay Gulch alluvial valley floor (AVF) has been identified as an aquifer in the <br />study azea. The Blue Flame Coal and La Plata No. 1 Mines have been reclaimed <br />and any impacts to the Hay Gulch aquifer would be insignificant . Sediment control <br />structures at the King Coal Mine have been designed to minimize, to the extent <br />possible, impacts to the alluvial aquifer. The sediment ponds at the National King <br />Coal operation has discharged into the AVF only one time and this was after a <br />severe thunderstorm that exceeded the 100 year event in less than one hour. The <br />sediment ponds at the King Coal Mine have been designated to control the runoff <br />from a ]0-year, 24-hour storm event. No discharge is expected from any of these <br />ponds due to a storm event of lesser magnitude, or as a result of snowmelt. <br />Furthermore, monitoring of the alluvial aquifer down gradient form the National <br />King Coal operation, indicates that the quality of the alluvial aquifer is not being <br />diminished by coal mining operations. Alluvial water quality monitoring programs <br />committed to by National King Coal will help delimit the potential for future impacts <br />to this alluvial system. <br />Based on the results of hydrological monitoring during the past five yeazs, the <br />hydrologic characteristics of the Hay Gulch alluvial aquifer, and to the manner in <br />which the mining operations are, or proposed to be, conducted, it has been <br />determined that no significant cumulative hydrologic impacts to the alluvial aquifer <br />will occur. <br />Pursuant to C.R.S. 34-33-114(2)(C), the Division has assessed the probable <br />cumulative hydrologic impacts to the ground water and surface water basins defined <br />in this document, from permitted and anticipated mining operations. The Division <br />finds that the King Coal operations had been designed to prevent material damage <br />to the hydrologic balance outside the permit area. <br />Surface Water Effects <br />16 <br />