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or the Hay Gulch alluvium, has been adjudicated for a water right. La Plata Coal Corporation <br />demonstrated during permitting of the La Plata No. 1 Mine that this water right has been <br />abandoned; therefore, no further investigations or monitoring are being required. <br />Two water supply wells are located in the immediate vicinity of the facilities area: one at the King <br />Coal Mine and one at the La Plata No. 1 Mine. A third water well, located in an up slope terrace <br />deposit, has been capped and abandoned. Although no completion data have been submitted, it <br />appears that the abandoned well was completed in the underlying Point Lookout Sandstone. The <br />National King Coal water supply well is completed in the Hay Gulch alluvial aquifer just west of <br />the facilities area. The La Plata No. 1 Mine well, which has been reported to be in existence since <br />about 1905, is located neaz the facilities area of that mine. This well, for which a water right has <br />been filed, is probably completed in the Point Lookout Sandstone. <br />Information concerning other wells within one mile of the permit boundary is contained in section <br />2.04 of the permit document. <br />Surface Water Hydrology <br />The surface facilities of the King Coal Mine are located m a small ephemeral drainage basin which <br />is tributary to Hay Gulch. The permit area and underground mining extending to the south of the <br />surface facilities underlay another smaller ephemeral drainage basin, Pine Gulch. Pine Gulch flows <br />into Hay Gulch approximately 4 miles downstream of the facilities azea. Hay Gulch is a tributary <br />of the La Plata River and their confluence is located about 8 miles downstream (southwest) of the <br />King Coal Mine. <br />There are no perennial streams within the permit area. Surface water within the small ephemeral <br />drainage basin in which the mine is located is limited to runoff from rainfall and snowmelt events. <br />Runoff from the undisturbed upper parts of the east basin is routed around the disturbed areas <br />through a ditch system. Runoff from the undismrbed west basin and the disturbed area is <br />conveyed through a system of culverts and ditches to two sediment ponds at the base of the 86 acre <br />contributing area. Dischazge from the ponds enters Hay Gulch, a tributary of the La Plata River. <br />There is no flowing stream within the valley of Hay Gulch at the location of the mine. <br />Historically, streamflow has been diverted into an irrigation ditch on the north side of Hay Gulch. <br />Water for irrigation purposes is taken from the La Plata River and at times has been reported to <br />be high in salinity and therefore not suitable for irrigation. Because of this fact, the King Coal <br />Mine has agreed to sample the irrigation ditch twice a year for two irrigation seasons to create a <br />baseline and determine the quality of the ditch water. <br />An ephemeral stream channel may have existed in the bench area of the mine prior to disturbance <br />of the site in 1941. This pre-mining channel would have been located in the lower portion of the <br />mine. Runoff from larger events would occur as channel flow, whereas smaller events, would <br />primarily recharge the alluvium from side-slope areas. For this reason, apost-mining channel will <br />be reconstructed in the current location of the facilities area. A review of the channel design <br />indicates it meets the requirements of Rule 4.05.3. <br />5 <br />