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spring issuing from this aquifer in the permit or adjacent areas with a May flow of 14 gpm (TABLE 10). This aquifer has a low permeability and is approximately 75 feet thick. The permittee has submitted calculations based on flow net analysis indicating that an approximate annual flow of 8 gpm is discharged into Fish Creek at the overburden aquifer subcrop. Since Fish Creek is the lowest point in the basin the majority of the aquifer discharge is expected in this area. Therefore, other springs and seeps issuing from this aquifer are not expected to contribute significantly to surface flows, and arty resulting depletion of spring flows from the mining operation will not significantly impact the surface water system. The permittee has identified 10 wells adjacent to the permit area that are not owned by CYCC or TCC. Of these wells three are completed in the Twentymile sandstone, three in the Upper Williams Fork formation, and the rest in the alluvia of Middle Creek and Trout Creek. Of these wells, seven are for domestic use (TABLE 2). TCC has conducted an initial survey of these wells obtaining information on water quality and water levels. The mining operation is not expected to impact these wells at prrojected inflow rates. Should inflow rates increase above projections or if monitoring wells detect greater than anticipated impacts, closer monitoring will be conducted of these wells. The applicant currently pumps ground water from the Trout Creek Sandstone for use in its operations. This use of water will not impact any adjacent wells or springs. The Foidel Creek underground mine may impact the quality of ground water in bedrock and alluvial aquifers during and after mining. During mining, the impacts to ground water quality will be limited to a minor degradation in alluvial water quality in the Foidel Creek stream/alluvial system. This degradation of quality will be due to a higher salt load in the mine discharge than in the stream. The waste rock is being placed in an old strip pit. This mine development waste area will ultimately result in a spoils aquifer contiguous with Eckman Park spoils. The pit will be reclaimed by covering it with sufficient backfill and soil to ensure revegetation. Should spoil springs form, they will drain through Pond D prior to discharge into the surface water system. The Foidel Creek Mine will not significantly impact the quality of ground water in the Twentymile sandstone and Trout Creek sandstone aquifers because positive ground water gradients are not expected to develop from the flooded workings toward the Trout Creek sandstone and the thickness and relative impermeability of the interburden will hinder spoils water flow to the Twentymile sandstone. The spoils aquifer adjacent to the proposed underground mine portal is poor, with a total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of about 3000 mg/1. To minimize the handling of this poor quality water during mining, the applicant partially backfilled the face-up pit and drove inclined entries into the Wadge seam. During backfilling, 15 feet of low permeable clay and silt subsoil were compacted against the highwall. Use of inclined entries to the mine workings increased the width of undisturbed low permeable rock strata between the spoils aquifer and the mine workings. This compacted low permeable layer and -42-