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this specified azea, the Stollsteimer Creek alluvial water is of such small volume that it is not <br />currently used and is unlikely to be used in the future. The Basic Standazds have no water quality <br />standazds for the Limited Use and Quality classification; therefore, the mine is in compliance <br />with the Basic standazds for Ground Water. <br />Protection of Ground Water Recharge Capacity -The area disturbed by mining at Chimney Rock <br />comprises less than 1 % of the length of the outcrop belt on the northeastern margin of the San Juan <br />Basin where ground water is recharged. This disturbed azea is too small to have reduced the regional <br />ground water rechazge below the approximate premising rechazge rate. On a local scale, the <br />disturbed area does not significantly divert ground water flows to surface water flows {via spoil <br />springs), and surface water infiltration has not been impaired. Therefore, the approximate premising <br />ground water recharge rate has been preserved locally. <br />Impacts to Surface Water -The Chimney Rock Mine is on Segment 6 of the Piedra River Sub- <br />basin ofthe San Juan River Basin. The mine's NPDES discharge pemut CO-850034 was temunated <br />on 11/4/97 following reclamation of all sediment control ponds in the mine permit azea. Waters in <br />Stollsteimer Creek recently complied with the instream numeric standazds where the creek passes <br />through the Chimney Rock Mine permit azea, as shown by 2001 and 2002 monitoring data from sites <br />S-1(upstream from mine disturbance), S-2 (at the former mine site), and S-3 (downstream from mine <br />disturbance). The samples were analyzed for 19 pazameters. The results were submitted in the bond <br />release application. The data show no degradation of water quality in Stollsteimer Creek. The <br />Chimney Rock Mine has never been found in violation of loading of Stollsteimer Creek with <br />dissolved solids, NPDES limitations, or instream numeric standazds. Sustained stream flows, and the <br />compliance with NPDES discharge limitations and instream standazds, indicate Kaiser has prevented <br />material damage to the surface water hydrologic balance outside the permit. The rangeland and <br />pastureland post-mining land use in the permit area has not been impaired by changes to the <br />hydrologic balance caused by Kaiser, if any. The changes were the minimum that can be expected <br />from a surface mining operation. Future surface water pollution caused by Kaiser's mining operation, <br />if any, should not significantly exceed the current level because the future discharge rate of spoil <br />leachate into the Stollsteimer Creek alluvium will be a small percentage of the creek's flow, thus <br />allowing adequate dilution. Page 12 of the PHC in the mining permit application predicts that at <br />Stollsteimer Creek's historical low-flow of 1.78 cfs, the predicted 25 gpm of leachate dischazge into <br />the creek would increase the creek's TDS by 14 mg/1, from 557 mg/1 to 571 mg/1. The increase <br />would be a small fraction of 14 mg/1 during imgation season when streamflow typically is an order <br />of magnitude lazger than during low-flow. <br />Impacts to Alluvial Valley Floors (AVFs) -Lands in the Stollsteimer Creek AVF received fmal <br />bond release in SL-4. Sustained stream flows in Stollsteimer Creek since Kaiser's operations began <br />indicate Kaiser has not depleted the supply of water to the AVF. Although post-mining <br />electroconductivity values of surface and alluvial waters in Stollsteimer Creek exceed the material <br />damage suspect levels for alluvial valley floors, the post-mining values do not exceed the baseline <br />values (see following table). <br />13 <br />