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The flow in Tuttle Draw is primarily from irrigation return waters. Occasional precipitation and <br />snowmelt events contribute waters to this Draw. Sediment Pond 001 discharges water to this <br />drainage system regulazly with flows characterized by lows in April, averaging about 0.01 cfs, to <br />highs in September of 0.9 cfs. Sediment Pond 006 discharges significant flow to Tuttle Draw <br />beginning in May and continuing through August. Average flow for this period is 0.4 cfs. In <br />September discharges from Sediment Pond 006 rapidly decline. In January through April the average <br />discharge is insignificant. This dischazge has been monitored for [en years. These flows appear to <br />be greatly influenced by local irrigation practices. Impacts on water quality from these ponds on <br />Tuttle Draw are very limited due to the high dilution ratios. These discharges occur upstream of <br />surface water monitoring site SW-N3. Measurements of water flow at SW-N3 show rates from <br />0.019 cfs to 9.35 cfs. Flows in April were measured at 0.665 cfs and at 9.35 cfs in September. The <br />West Retum Ditch is also tributary to Tuttle Draw just upstream of SW-N3. Contributions from this <br />source generally decline to near zero during the non-irrigation period. These flows vary from 0.006 <br />cfs during April to 0.856 cfs in June. <br />~lJ <br />The New Horizon Mine 2 site is just west of the town of Nucla and is located in the mildly sloping <br />up an area immediately north of Calamity Draw, approximately in the middle of First Park. <br />Especially in the New Horizon Mine 2 mining area, the surface water system is characterized by a <br />"disjointed" tributary drainage system almost completely controlled by retum flow ditches of the local <br />irrigation network. <br />Flows in Calamity Draw generally reflect local irrigation practices. Water from the West Lateral <br />Ditch's return irrigation flow is its primary source. Very little supplemental flow is derived from <br />precipitation and snowmelt runoff. In 1987, measured flow rates in Calamity Draw varied from 0.605 <br />cfs in April to 13.4 cfs in July. Flow in Calamity Draw varied from 1.04 to 2.06 cfs during the <br />non-irrigation period. Shallow ground water alluvial sources provide a large portion of this low flow 4 <br />period's water. This ground water flow is related to local irrigation practices but is consolidated into <br />amore uniform and regular flow by the permeability of these near surface alluvial deposits. Sediment <br />Pond 007 for the New Horizon Mine 2 mining site will contribute water to the Calamity Draw <br />system. The drainage system at the New Horizon 2 site has been designed to provide adequate ~,,, <br />capacity and storage times to completely control a 10-year 24-hour precipitation event. This system <br />will collect all runoff from the mine site and should actually lower present total suspended solids <br />(TSS) contribution from this area over the life of the mine. Increased TDS levels in this water from <br />mining disturbances are expected but are projected to be within acceptable discharge levels and will <br />be mitigated by dilution. Regular monitoring of these flow rates and water quality will give adequate Q <br />control of this current water source to protect water quality in Calamity Draw. The discharges from ~ <br />the mine enter Calamity Draw at a point about 2.5 miles above the confluence of Calamity Draw and <br />the San Miguel River. `~ <br /> e <br />The above-mentioned parks consist of recent undifferentiated aeolian silts and sands overlaying the <br />Dakota and Burro Canyon Formations. The perennial flow nature of both Tuttle and Calamity Sef' <br />Draws is largely due to the local irrigation practices. Over the years this more or less constant 'u AP <br />source of water in these drainage systems has encouraged the growth of vegetation. This has <br />resulted in the channels becoming more erosionally stable but more incised <br />5 <br />