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Groundwater use in the general area around the West Elk Mine is confined to shallow wells in <br />the alluvium of the North Fork of the Gunnison River and its tributaries, No private, <br />commercial, or industrial wells aze presently located within or down-gradient adjacent the permit <br />area. <br />A description of the surface water system can be found in Section 2.04.7 of the permit document. <br />Supporting information is contained in Map 34, which illustrates the drainages associated with <br />the WEM coal lease azea, Map 37, which delineates the location of all known springs on the coal <br />lease area, and Map 36, which shows the reservoirs and irrigation ditches associated with the <br />Minnesota Creek Basin. <br />A description of the surface water occurrence and mining impacts on adjacent areas can be found <br />in the "Probable Hydrologic Consequences of Mining" section of this document, and the <br />"Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Study" document for this mine area. <br />All of the streams draining the West Elk Mine permit area aze tributaries to the North Fork of the <br />Gunnison River. Lone Pine Gulch and Gribble Gulch are ephemeral streams draining the <br />northern portion of the lease area. Sylvester Gulch is a perennial stream in its lower reaches <br />through the mine area. Minnesota Creek and its tributaries, Horse Creek, South Prong, Lick <br />Creek, Dry Fork, and East Fork, drain the southern portion of the coal lease area. Minnesota <br />Creek enters the North Fork of the Gunnison River near Paonia. The overall drainage exhibits a <br />dendritic drainage pattern with steep channels. Horse Creek and South Prong of the East Fork of <br />Minnesota Creek are perennial streams, while Lick Creek, Upper Dry Fork, Sylvester Gulch and <br />Gribble Gulch are ephemeral streams. Minnesota Reservoir controls much of the flow in the <br />lower Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek, and Beaver Reservoir controls the flow in the East Fork of <br />Minnesota Creek. Lone Pine Gulch has no evidence of recent flow; therefore, no gaging station <br />has been constructed. Even when all of the six gaged watersheds were found to be flowing, Lone <br />Pine Gulch showed no flow or evidence of flow. Raven Creek flows through the extreme <br />northeast corner of the permit area. It is encompassed by the permit and lease boundaries but a <br />stipulation expressly forbids mining such that the affected azea would include the riparian zone <br />of the creek, <br />There are three different types of springs within the permit azea including alluvial, colluvial, and <br />bedrock springs. A study of the groundwater system at the West Elk Mine by Mayo & <br />Associates showed that 83 different springs have been identified within the existing permit area. <br />From the identified springs, 65% of the cumulative discharge volume comes from superficial <br />springs in alluvium and/or colluvium. Only 5% of the discharge comes from units of the Upper <br />and Lower Coal member. The flow rates of these springs are highly seasonal with peak flows <br />occurring during wet weather conditions. <br />Reservoirs and stock ponds also occur within or near the permit azea. Minnesota Reservoir, on <br />the Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek, is centrally located within the coal lease area. Beaver <br />Reservoir on the East Fork of Minnesota Creek is located near the southwestern boundary of the <br />coal lease area. <br />In addition to the storage reservoirs in the azea of the West Elk Mine, a total of 74 stock water <br />impoundments have been identified in or adjacent to the permit area. Map 37 of the permit <br />31 <br />