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<br />237 of permit application). Following reclamation, each spoil-filled pit will fill <br />with water and likely will eventually develop a spring on the ground surface at the <br />pit's down-slope (north) end. The pit effluent that dischazges from a spring will <br />be composed of water that is rich in the minerals that aze dissolves from the coal <br />spoils which fill the mined-out pit. The effluent dischazging from a spring will <br />flow down the north slope of Trapper Mine in one of the northwazd-flowing <br />drainages that cross the permit azea. <br />As of 1997, the applicant considers the following three springs to be spoil springs: <br />Johnson Gulch Spring, Cottonwood Spring, and Wapiti Spring (Appendix W of <br />permit application). All other springs on Trapper aze believed to b~: natural <br />springs. <br />Map-52 of the permit application shows that of the three spoil springs, Johnson <br />Gulch Spring is the one most directly fed by a spoil aquifer. The spring <br />dischazges from the north end of the spoils-filled Ashmore pit. Cottonwood and <br />Wapiti springs aze considered to be fed by spoils even though bott; springs aze <br />located on unmined ground between two reclaimed pits. <br />Johnson Gulch Spring has high TDS of around 4000 mg/I and higlt average iron <br />content of 0.42 mg/1 as found in samples taken in 1995 and 1996 (Appendix W of <br />permit application). This spring supplies azound 10% of the annurd flow of <br />Johnson Gulch within the permit azea. The Johnson Gulch spring water exceeds <br />secondary drinking water standazds although it is not currently used as drinking <br />water downstream of the mine azea. Cottonwood and Wapiti Sprvtgs have total <br />dissolved solids concentrations usually azound 1200 mg/1, similaz to pre-mining <br />levels. <br />The applicant considers that a seep that was mined through and reclaimed in 1988, <br />Colt Seep, dischazged from a spoil aquifer (page 1-2 of Section 2.`. in Volume <br />XVIII/Appendix W of permit application). The applicant believes that during the <br />last few yeazs of the Colt Seep's existence, the seep's water qualirr was <br />improving after having been degraded by mining (page 4-237b of :permit <br />application). <br />The pit effluent that discharges from spoil springs is diluted durinl; natural <br />springtime runoff when the spoil springs aze most active. The pit effluent exceeds <br />imgation quality limits but is not used for that purpose. Spoil spring water is <br />acceptable for stock water and wildlife usage. <br />Suspended solids may be elevated in surface waters in the permit taea early in the mining <br />cycle of a drainage until reclaimed vegetation is established to control erosion (page 4- <br />237 of petTnitapplication). Sediment control measures described in the permit <br />application will reduce the sediment load added to surface waters. <br />Trapper Mine 24 May iJ, 1998 <br />