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.~ significantly affected and runoff from the permit azea will continue to reach Dry Creek. All waters used for dust suppression, showers, and other operations at the loadout aze piped in from a well in the Yampa River alluvium (H-G Shallow Well No, 1), located two miles north of the loadout. HGTI owns the water rights for this well. HGTI owns an additional 90 acre-feet of water ril;hts in the downstream Walker Ditch which are not being utilized. These water rights can be used to compensate any downstream users 1'or loss of water due to consumption at the loadout. HGTI has also entered into an agreement with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (IJSFWS) to mitigate against losses of water to the Yampa River as a result of wata:r consumption at the loadout. Please refer to Volume 2, Tab 21 of the permit application and Item XII of this document. Probable Effects on Ground Water Quality: Bedrock Ground Water The Lewis shale has low conductivity values and is generally considered to be an aquitazd that retards transmission of surface water to the underlying regional aquifer, the Twentymile sandstone. This low conductivity results in low well yields that precludes the use of waters from the Lewis Shale for other than stock watering (See Seneca II-W Permit Application, Tab 7). Water samples from the two existing alluvial wells at the loadout, which aze completed in part in the underlying Lewis Shale, often exceed water quality standazds for stock watering. Operations at the loadout should not impact this ground water. Alluvial Water Alluvial waters aze also of poor quality and may be unsuitable for use in irrigation. Leachate from coal stockpiled at the loadout could potentially infiltrate the alluvium and add dissolved chemical loads to the Dry Creek alluvial aquifer; however, impact to Dry Creek alluvial water quality ;;hould be minimal due to the size of the operation and the composition of the coal. An alluvial ground water monitoring system to be put into place should serve to document this conclusion. Probable Effects on Ground Water Quantity: The Lewis shale is an aquitazd and should not be much affected by any additional waters that might be contributed to the site as a result of operations at the loadout. Water used at the site is drawn from Yampa River alluvium. It is conceivable that waters seeping from sediment ponds and from the zz