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Cultural and Historic Resources -Rule 2.04.4 and 2.05.6(4) <br />Cultural and historic resources are discussed in Section 2.04.4 of the permit application. <br />In October 1977, Centuries Research, Inc. conducted a cultural resource survey of the Blue Ribbon <br />proposed mine site. The survey found the azea to contain no cultural resources. The State Historical <br />Preservation Officer concluded that the Blue Ribbon Mine would not impact significant cultural <br />resources, this was again confirmed on June 12, 1997. <br />Hydrologic Balance -Rule 2.04.5. 2.04.7, 2.05.3(4), 2.05.6(3) and 4.05 <br />Groundwater information can be found in the permit document in Section 2.04.7. The locations of <br />monitoring sites can be found in Exhibit Z. <br />A description of groundwater occurrence and mining impacts on groundwater within the permit and <br />adjacent areas can be found in the "Probable Hydrologic Consequences" section of this document <br />and the "Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Study" document for this mine area. <br />The coal outcrop of the E seam, which Blue Ribbon mined, is about 80 to 100 feet above the stream <br />bed of Hubbazd Creek. The disturbed areas and underground none azeas lie at a higher elevation than <br />the alluvial deposits. The major portion of the mine workings are above the level of Hubbazd Creek, <br />so the mine never experienced inflows directly related to water flowing in Hubbazd Creek. <br />The alluvium of Hubbard Creek is the only aquifer within the permit and adjacent areas. This <br />aquifer supplied the water consumed at the Blue Ribbon Mine. This aquifer is an isolated body of <br />alluvium. Upstream and downstream of the mine, the Hubbard Creek stream valley narrows and the <br />stream flows over resistant sandstone bedrock, effectively isolating the alluvial aquifer in the azea <br />of the mine itself. <br />The Rollins sandstone is the most significant regional unit with potential to be considered a bedrock <br />aquifer in the North Fork drainage basin. This unit outcrops in a narrow steep reach along Hubbard <br />Creek about a mile downstream of the mining operation. Groundwater rechazge to this unit is limited <br />within the Hubbazd Creek drainage. The potential use of this unit as an aquifer is limited by the steep <br />valley slopes below the mine and the its limited rechazge azea. No groundwater from the Rollins <br />Sandstone appeared as mine inflows within the Blue Ribbon Mine, since the mine workings aze all <br />stratigraphically above the Rollins Sandstone. <br />The E coal seam does not qualify as an aquifer. The mine workings were nearly dry, except in a few <br />areas of fracturing. Mine inflows documented in the annual hydrology report were described as <br />minor or as "drips" or `4vet azea" except for specific inflows of 4.5 and 2 gallons per minute . Water <br />pumped to the surface ranged from 38.3 to 86.8 gallons per minute in 1985, but it's not clear how <br />much of that was process water that had originated on the surface. Recent inflows in the Oxbow <br />Mine neazby were 114 gpm in the B-seam and 15 gpm in the C-seam. In general, there remains no <br />