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<br />-30- <br />calculated inflow rate per acre of mined-out workings at the Allen Mine is <br />0.03 9pm/acre. This value indicates a very low inflow per unit area, and <br />represents inflows from sources other than subsided areas. Therefore, <br />subsidence is not presently a significant source of mine inflows at the Allen <br />Mine. Since the Maxwell and Allen Mines have similar geology and mining <br />operations, subsidence inflows are not expected to be significant in the. <br />Maxwell Mine. Also, mining in the immediate future will be restricted to <br />partial extraction and development mining at the Maxwell Mine. Therefore, <br />subsidence-related inflows will not occur at this mine. Future mining plans <br />include the use of longwall mining and pillaring in areas to the north and <br />south of the Picketwire Valley, and partial extraction mining under the <br />Picketwire Valley. Subsidence-induced mine inflows, therefore, would be <br />limited to areas outside of the Picketwire Valley. <br />The applicant has not adequately determined the probable hydrologic <br />consequences of the proposed underground mining operations upon springs and <br />seeps in or adfacent to the permit area, or the consequences upon the <br />stream/alluvial aquifer systems of Apache, Santistevan and Ciruela Canyons. <br />This is due to a deficient inventory of ground water resources. Until the <br />surface and ground water resources are fully inventoried and the probable <br />hydrologic consequences of mining upon these resources is assessed, secondary <br />and retreat mining south of the Purgatoire River and beneath the alluvium of. <br />Santistevan Canyon cannot be approved by the Division (See Stipulation Nos. 7, <br />8 and 9 in Section VI, Hydrologic Balance; Ground Water of this findings <br />document). <br />The applicant has provided a discussion of the water quality effects of mine <br />discharge from the Maxwell Mine upon the Purgatoire River stream-alluvial <br />aquifer system. The water discharged from the mine is a sodium-bicarbonate <br />type water with an average pH of 7.9, and an average total dissolved solids <br />level of 1,112 mg/1 (see Exhibit b, Table 6 of the Maxwell permit document). <br />Under low flow conditions, this discharge would increase the total dissolved <br />solids level in the river by 47 mg/1; under average flow conditions the <br />predicted increase is only 13 mg/1 (Exhibit 6, Table 8). <br />The applicant proposes to construct a 6 acre coal refuse pile, West I refuse <br />disposal site, at the mouth of Ciruela Canyon, Observations of the disposal <br />site have found a spring which could come into contact with the pile resulting <br />in a leachate that may degrade water quality. The alluvial ground water <br />quality in Ciruela Canyon may be impacted by the proposed placement of the <br />disposal pile. <br />The applicant has not. provided an analysis of the impacts upon the hydrology <br />that would occur by disposing of the refuse at this site. Also, the <br />significance of alluvial ground water flows from Ciruela Canyon to <br />agricultural areas in Picketwire Valley has not been defined. Therefore, an <br />assessment cannot be made at this time about the consequences of disposing the <br />refuse material. <br />