GENERAL42857 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

and a request for clarification of a map was sent to WFU on July 6, 1994 in a letter noting that all other concerns had been addressed. No comments opposing the permit renewal or technical revision were received during the public comment period. Several letters in support of the permit renewal were received by the Division. The Division proposed the approval of TR-34 on July 8, 1994. Description of the Environment Elevations at the mine site range between 5,300 and 5,900 feet above sea level. The permit area and adjacent areas are characterized by gently rolling to moderately steep landforms. Slopes range from 0 to 6 percent in the valleys and level uplands and up to 50 percent on drainage sideslopes. The area is semi-arid and characterized by light rainfall, low relative humidity, and moderate winds. Mean annual precipitation is 9 to 10 inches, most of which occurs in the spring. The mine is located in the White River Basin which is the eastern portion of the larger Uinta Basin. The mine lies within the interbedded sandstone and siltstone strata of the Mesaverde Group in the Williams Fork Formation. The Mesaverde Group consists of the Lower IIes Formation and the Upper Williams Fork Formation, which are separated by the Trout Creek Sandstone. The Williams Fork Formation is further divided into upper and lower members. The Lower Williams Fork Member contains coal bearing seams "A" through "H." The "B" and "D" seams will be recovered at the Deserado Mine. The dip of the Mesaverde Group within the permit area is controlled by the asymmetric Red Wash Syncline, which strikes northwest southeast. Dips vary from 7 degrees in the southern part of the permit area, horizontal at the synclinal axis, to as much as 70 degrees on the north flank of the syncline. The coal and sandstone beds outcrop along this steep northern flank. Structure and local topography are the main factors which control ground water movement in the area. The Williams Fork Fonnation is divided into three hydrologic units: The Sandstone Facies, which underlies the "A" coal seam and is generally equivalent to the Trout Creek Sandstone and the upper portion of the lies Formation; the Siltstone and Coal Facies, which consists of the interbedded coal, siltstone, and shale strata of the Lower Williams Fork Formation; and the upper Sandstone Facies of the Upper Williams Fork Formation. A fourth hydrologic unit is the alluvium of the White River and its tributaries. The maximum thickness of the White River Alluvium near the permit area was found to be 37 fee[. Groundwater in the alluvium occurs in an unconl"med condition. No major usage of groundwater in or adjacent to the permit area has been defined by the permittee. Due to the generally low yield and poor quality of aquifers in the region, high groundwater usage would be unusual. Recharge of the bedrock aquifers occurs primarily at higher elevations north of the permitiarea through infiltration of precipitation in outcrop 3