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Cultural Fesources Numerous cultural resources studies have been conducted on lands within the • Trapper permit boundary. A majority of area has been i».tensivel7 surveyed with the remaining acreage, in low ground visibilit}' and/or steep or disturbed terrain, subjected to a reconnaissance survey. A total of twelve archaeological sites (9 prehistoric, 3 historic) have been located in the area of the Trapper Mine. The prehistoric sites consist of :Lithic scatters, rock art, rock shelters, and temporary camps. The historic :sites include homestead remains and trash dumps. Of the t,oelve sites, four are located near but lie outside the present nine plan boundary. Of the remaining eight sites, four . are directly impacted by the proposed mining, however, ~~[hese sites have been found not eligible for nomination to the Lational Regis':er of Historic Places and therefore require no mitigation. Surface ida ter The Trapper mine is situated on the north slopes of the drainage divide between the Yampa River and a major Yampa River tributary, the Williams Fork River Drainages within and adjacent to the permit area (on the north-facing slope), run south to north down the slope and are dendr:ltic in pattern. I,tithin the permit area are portions of the following drainages: Coyote, No Name, Johnson, Pyeatt, and Flume. These drainages are ~aphemeral and flow primarily in response to snowmelt and/or heavy rains. All of these ephemeral drainages discharge eventually into the Yampa River. Flow in the Yampa River depends primarily on melt water from the winter snowpac'.{ on the high mountain slopes surrounding the valley. The lower intermittent .and ephemeral drainages produce only a small part of the total water yield of the basin. The Williams Fork River is a major tributary to the Yampa River and enters the Yampa • downstream of the Trapper ?fine. All drainage from the 'Trapper Mine flows away from the Williams Fork River and towards the Yampa River. The north end of the proposed mine is located about 2 [0 3 miles from the Yampa River. The applicant has determined that surface drainage from the Trapper Mine contributes only 0.07 cfs/m2 to the Yampa River flow. Runoff from the Trapper mine site has been compared to the national primary and secondary drinking water standards and to the limits for continuously used irrigation water. The total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations exceed the secondary drinking water limits of SOOmg/1 in most samples; the sulfate limit of 250 mg/1 is exceeded at the upper Flume Gulch, lower Flume Gulch, and No Name Gulch sites; the iron limit of 0.3 mg/1 is exceeded at the upper Flume Gulch, lower Flume Gulch, Pyeatt Gulch, and No Name Gulch sites; and the manganese limit of 0.05 mg/1 is exceeded at the Flume Gulch Stations. Irrigation standards are exceeded for iron (lower Flume Gulch, Pyeatt Gulch, and t]o Name Gulch), sodium absorption ratio (Pyeatt Gulch), manganese (lower Flume Gulch), lithium (lower Flume Gulch), and molybdenum (upper and lower Flume Gulch). -4- CJ