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exponentially from the original 2 to 3 gallons per minute to 0 gpm as the water <br />table rises in the reclaimed pit. <br />Since there will be no mining activity below the water table in the Federal Lease <br />Area, there should be no effect on the ground water table or flows in Stollsteimer <br />Creek due to mining in that area. <br />In summation, the total amount of water withdrawn from Stollsteimer Creek <br />during and after the mining activities in the East Pit, Barren Ridge, and Federal <br />Lease Areas due to pit inflows will have a negligible effect on the normal flows <br />of Stollsteimer Creek. <br />After the spoil aquifer has been fully recharged, a mound of ground water will <br />begin to develop in the spoils. Eventually the spoil aquifer will begin to discharge <br />water to the bedrock aquifers, stream alluvium, and ultimately to Stollsteimer <br />Creek. <br />The rate of spoil water discharge will be a function of the recharge rate <br />(infiltration and deep percolation rates) of the reclaimed spoils. The estimated <br />recharge rate for the 13 acres of reclaimed spoils over the East Pit spoil aquifer <br />is 1 gallon per minute (gpm). Therefore, the rate of discharge from the spoil <br />aquifer will be less than 1 gpm for the East Pit. A calculation of the discharge rate <br />for the spoils aquifer developed in the Barren Ridge Area has also been estimated <br />to be less than I gpm. Given a mean value for spoil water quality of <br />approximately 5,000 mg/I for TDS (data from other surface mines in the state), <br />a mean value for alluvial water quality of approximately 650 mg/I for TDS, an <br />estimated flow rate within the alluvial aquifer of 55,555 gpm across the alluvial <br />valley floor, and a flow rate from the two spoils aquifer of 2 gpm, the total <br />degradation which would result from the two spoil aquifers will be 0.03 percent <br />or an increase of 0.18 mg/l TDS. These estimates are based on average or linear <br />flow situations, whereas under actual field conditions, the increased TDS levels <br />would be concentrated in the area of the greatest amount of spoil material. <br />However, it is believed that the above-projected estimates are close to the <br />potential actual field conditions and, with the projected increases in TDS levels <br />as low as those given here, the potential impacts would be negligible. These <br />projected TDS levels are similar to those derived from a study done on the Barren <br />Ridge Area by Piteau Associates. This study concluded that both the water <br />quality and water quantity in Stollsteimer Creek would be impacted by less than <br />one percent (Piteau Report, September I5, 1983, Exhibit 38, Federal Lease <br />permit revision application). <br />The above information is sufficient to show that potential changes to water <br />quantity or quality will be negligible and, thus, there will be no material damage <br />on site or off site to the water recharging the AVF. <br />18 <br />