GENERAL41775 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

. • . -14- • Ground water use within the region is of lower significance as compared to surface water. Ground water is primarily for domestic consumption, stock watering, and to a lesser extent, rrwnicipal supply. lJhereas surface water is the major municipal and irriyation water source. In the per~ntit and adjacent area the litholoyy and yround water occurrences in the coal-bearing Dakota Sandstone Formation are extremely variable. Several small, laterally discontinuous aquifers exist within the overburden as well as in the alluvial deposits along Tuttle Uraw, The bedrock aquifers have poor yielris and water qualities. The most siyniFicant source of yround water is the shallow crater table aquifer. This aquifer is recharged by the flood irriyation to the north of the mine site. This shallow aquifer discharges to Tuttle Uraw. The irrigation return flow in this aquifer becomes degraded which in turn degrades the water quality of Tuttle Draw. The operator drilled 13 monitoring wells within the mine area in 1917. These wells served to identify what yround water resourceswere present in the mine area and what impacts if any were occurring because of the operation. The monitoring wells showed that local ground water occurrence in the overburden, underburden and spoils in the mine area was limited. Several of the monitoring wells are dry indicating not all strata are saturated. The observed ground. water can be classified as calcium magnesium, sulfate type. Sulfate, iron, manganese and dissolved solids content are very high. The levels exceed the U.S. r.P.A. Drinking Water Standards consistantly. This information indicates that local ground water is not significant hydrologic resource. The applicants ground water discussion and baseline data collection was adequate to fulfill the requirements of this section. VI. Water Riyhts and Replacement - Rules 2.04,7(3), 2. __a n n[ is A discussion of surface water use, ground mater use, and alternative water supply information can be found in Volume 1, Section 7-41 A & B, 7-63, and 7-63 A & B, respectively. Water rights can be found in Volume 1 5ectian 7-fi4 with Court Decrees included in Appendix 7-8. The water rights obtained for the mine are a ditch (Nucla Mine Ditch), a ground water well (tlucla i4ine Shop lJell PJo. 92752), and two ponds (Nucla f4ine Reservoir tJo. 1 and No. 2). The ground water well is der. reed for drinking and sanitation uses although it is not presently used due to its poor taste. Water fur danestic use is currently transported to the mine by outside sources in a water truck.