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a one-foot drawdown in the Wadge Overburden was predicted to be 401 feet <br />in the Grassy Creek drainage and 564 feet in the Sage Creek drainage. The <br />one-foot drawdown radius in the Wadge Coal was predicted to be 369 feet in <br />the Grassy Creek drainage and 468 feet in the Sage Creek drainage. Radial <br />distances to the one-foot drawdowns in the Wolf Creek Overburden and Wolf <br />Creek Coal in the Sage Creek drainage were predicted to be 452 and 491 feet, <br />respectively. Because the drawdowns due to pit inflows will be mostly <br />contained within the leasehold area, and adjacent water users aze located <br />beyond the one-foot drawdown contours, no significant impact on <br />groundwater use due to pit inflows is predicted. <br />Impacts of Production Well <br />Seneca Coal Company predicted that maximum drawdowns in the Trout <br />Creek aquifer resulting from nine years of pumping in the Yoast Production <br />Well would be 186 feet. After 20 yeazs of recovery, the residual drawdown <br />within one mile of the well is predicted to be less than two feet. The radial <br />distance to the one-foot drawdown contour afrer 20 yeazs of pumping was <br />predicted to be 10 miles. The only known Trout Creek wells within this <br />radius are associated with the Twentymile Coal Mine and are between seven <br />and ten mile from the proposed Yoast Mine well. The drawdown at this <br />distance from the Yoast Mine well should not significantly impact these <br />wells. <br />Streamflow depletions in the Yampa River, Fish Creek, Middle Creek and <br />Trout Creek channels due to changes in the groundwater regime were all <br />predicted to be less than 0.55 acre-feet per yeaz. However, streamflow <br />depletions in Sage Creek and Grassy Creek were predicted io be higher: 4.9 <br />acre-feet per year in Sage Creek and 5.8 acre-feet per year in Grassy Creek. <br />Impact of Replaced Spoil on Groundwater <br />Seneca Coal Company predicted that the replaced spoil would have a 25% <br />higher hydraulic conductivity than the undisturbed material. Other than that, <br />the primary effect on groundwater would be degradation of quality with <br />respect to total dissolved solids (TDS). <br />Seneca Coal Company predicted that the increase in TDS concentrations in <br />the bedrock aquifers will range from 70% in the Wadge Overburden to over <br />300% in the Wadge Coal. These predictions are for groundwater in close <br />proximity to the resaturated spoil, within the permit azea. As groundwater <br />migrates away from the resaturated spoil, mixing, dilution from unaffected <br />recharge, and geochemical changes will decrease the TDS concentrations. <br />Well yields in these bedrock units, the Wadge Coal and Overburden and the <br />Wolf Creek Coal and Overburden, aze insufficient for irrigation purposes. <br />Yoast Mine 26 August 3, 2005 <br />