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<br /> <br />Purgatoire River but above surface facilities at the Golden Eagle Mine. <br />PRS-3 is located downstream from the Golden Eagle Mine facilities. The <br />locations of these stations are shown on Map 7. <br />Although peak flows in the Purgatoire occur in response to intense <br />precipitation events during the summer, the monitoring records <br />demonstrate that the bulk of the flow in the Purgatoire River results <br />from snowmelt and normally occurs during the months of April and May. In <br />monitoring year 1987, for example, the highest flow recorded at PRS-3 was <br />102.13 CFS and occurred in April. Low flow for the year at PRS-3 was <br />8.22 CFS and occurred in January. Average flow for the Purgatoire River <br />in 1987 was 38.80 CFS at this station. <br />Water quality data for Stations PRS-1, 2, and 3 is also reported in <br />Exhibit 10. The water in the Purgatoire is a calcium-bicarbonate type <br />water. Total dissolved solids concentrations in the area of the mines <br />normally run below 300 mq/1 throughout the year. <br />Monitoring below the New Elk Mine shows some increase in sodium <br />reflecting the effects of past mining activities. This effect is diluted <br />by flow from the North Fork of the Purgatoire River which joins the <br />Purgatoire River between the New Elk and Golden Eagle Mines. <br />E. Water Use <br />Ground water used in the area comes primarily from shallow alluvial <br />sources. This water is used primarily for domestic, livestock and <br />irrigation purposes. Alluvial ground water is also used for municipal <br />water downstream from the mines. <br />A few deeper wells in the vicinity of the New Elk Mine may tap bedrock <br />ground water sources. Water from these bedrock wells is used for <br />watering livestock and wildlife. <br />Surface water within the Purgatoire River basin is used primarily for <br />irrigation of strath and alluvial terraces. The width of the valley <br />ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand feet. Where the geometry of <br />the valley permits, limited flood irrigation is practiced. It is <br />estimated that 6,000 ac-ft are diverted from the Purgatoire for <br />irrigation above the Madrid station. Irrigated lands are, for the most <br />part, located on the strath terraces. Irrigation on the lower alluvial <br />terraces is also practiced, but the small size often precludes viable <br />irrigated agriculture. Much more extensive irrigation occurs in the <br />valley downstream of Trinidad. <br />Surface water is also used for domestic, livestock, and municipal <br />purposes. <br />_17_ <br />