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unconfined conditions are encountered near the outcrops. The saturated aquifer thickness <br />of these units ranges between four and 200 feet. <br />The Wadge Coal aquifers appears to be largely confined, whereas the Wadge iJnderburden <br />aquifer occurs under both confined and unconfined conditions. The Wolf Creel: Coal occurs <br />under confined conditions, however the Wolf Creek Underburden is both~unsaturated and <br />unco~ned. <br />Movement of groundwater in bedrock aquifers is controlled by structural foldinf; and faulting <br />and stratigraphy. Confined conditions occur at synclinal axes, and unconfined conditions <br />occur near the outcrops. No significant faulting is known to occw• within the proposed <br />permit area. <br />Two recharge boundaries are known to exist in the permit area. ?,n erosional face along <br />the northerly-plunging axis of the Fish Creek anticline provides a locali::ed recharge <br />boundary for the Wadge Coal and Wadge Overburden. Additionally., the Wolf Creek Coal <br />outcrop, parallel to the axis of the Fish Creek Anticline, is a recharge boundary for the Wolf <br />Creek Coal. <br />In general, the Williams Fork Formation, which includes the Twentynule Sand:~tone and the <br />Middle Coal Group has yields of up to 100 gpm but the average yield is approximately 10 <br />gpm. The underlying Trout Creek Sandstone has a yield of approximately 5 gp:m and occurs <br />under confined conditions with an artesian head of 30 feet above the ground surface. <br />Alluvial aquifers in the proposed permit area include the Sage Crc;ek alluvium, Armand <br />Draw alluvium and Grassy Creek alluvium. The Sage Creek Alluvium has; a saturated <br />thickness of between 7.5 and 56 feet. Armand Draw alluvium and Grassy Creek alluvium <br />have saturated thicknesses of 12 and 11-28 feet, respectively. Groundwater occurs under <br />unconfined conditions in the alluvial aquifers <br />Movement of groundwater in the alluvial aquifers is controlled by thc; characte:risties of the <br />stream drainages within which they occur, including the stream gradient as well as the width, <br />thickness and hydraulic conductivity of the alluvial deposits. Recharge to alluvial aquifers <br />occurs as infiltration from snowmelt and precipitation and as seepage losses from streams. <br />Baseline groundwater quality studies for the Yoast mine included the alluvial aquifers, the <br />Middle Coal Group, and the Trout Creek Sandstone. The following table summarizes <br />baseline data for pH, SO4, and total dissolved solids (TDS) for the units mentioned above. <br />Yoazt Min< 10 July 6, 1995 <br />