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• <br />Cr~scripticn of Ground h'at=r pesoeress <br />The stcdu area~for this assessmcrt is essentlallu tae S'anoa F::wr Pasin ,`ro.- <br />Steamboat Springs to Ffaubeil, Colorado. Fivure '_ shows the srudy area. and `;.._ <br />locations of the coal mines in the basin. Fable i lists =:Se coal mines and <br />their Type i status and production leve_s. Figure 2 is a eeneralized strati.- <br />gran,hic column for the Yampa Bic-er Dasin.T!'e names of the n:.ined coal seams <br />-arc from mine to mire. 7o attemot has beer. made to correlate the stra a - <br />;rapira. A geologic mao cf the basin `s found in the ":orthwest Cel~~ado EIS <br />(19i c) . <br />Ground Ovate; occurs ir. both ber'rock and alluvial aaui_`ers `n the st~rdy area. <br />Regional bedrock aouifers includE the Trout Cree.~ Sa:~dstona, the Middle Sand- <br />:.one, the Twentg-Ffile Sandstone, and t^e fJhite Sandston_s. Flar,u other strata <br />ere also A@ter-bearL7q, hOke•ier, ~ti:Etj eitl:c-r yield insurficien. amounts of :rater <br />to we11s or are not continuous through the basin ar,d', therefore, cannot b= <br />considered _ecional aquifers. Post cicpesiticnal folding of r_hese srrata has <br />z'esulted Ir. the formation of _everai bedrock ground water sJb-basins. Generally, <br />";ere sub-basins constitute separate around water basins with indivirical recharge <br />a.:d disci7arce areas. Pl:is teads to localise bedrec}: crounr :rater and inhi.':it <br />regional flow pa?terns. <br />Transm_ssi•r_i_es of the 9edrock aquifers are usuallu io:r. i?icrh gieids are onlu <br />• °btained l: P, WC'1_S completed _`n fractvr' cones. The agcif=*s ususllu eahicir- <br />ror.finad arr~san c.haracter_sties, e:<cept rear outcrops. ??gnu :dells completed <br />in the aquifers discharce :rater a~ the surface. ::later quaiii:y in the aeui<'ers <br />is usually too Door for denestic purposes, mar;ira_ _`cr irrigation pu*?oses, <br />and acceptable for stxi; o-aterirg purposes. <br />Rec_onai alluvial aquifers include those associated with the Pampa ,?_ve=, the <br />:••7iZliams Fork Riv_r, Trod CreeY., Fish Creek, and Good Springs Creek. Franc of <br />the other alluvial forms ti ors are also ::'ater-bearin_a but are rot axtensive encuvir <br />to be regionally I:rpertant. She :Dater from all the alluvial acaifers ev?ritually <br />racharv_es the Pampa Ricer aquifer cr provides base flow for the streams. From <br />`rer=, the water either rea`:arges .tdjacent bedrock aquifers, provides base firm <br />ir. the Yampa River, or leev_°s the study area to the west. T.ransmissivities o: <br />tt.e ai_'cvial aouifers are veneral:'.y medium to high. The ar. uifers exhibi_ <br />uncon_°ined water tab'e characteristics. The baseline o-rater quality in the <br />aquifer is fairly coot. It is usually cf marcinal quaZicc7 for dom=stir ~ur- <br />poses and cf arceptable quality for irrigatior, and l-c-estock watering uses. <br />?ote.^, tial for Inc_:~idua' Imnacts <br />Ail or the mines (see Ta51•a l) .rill individually impact the Ground :racer si.scam <br />in some :rau. Tha coal mIn-as that. have alreadc Seen permitted he tc_° Cit'_`sior.. <br />nave bean found to ;;e in _omnli~;nce :rith the previ=ions of 5'ect_ocs 'G-33-L~(2) (c) <br />? j, e :e ~cc The _o:ring is a sumnar'zed discussio, o- `he <br />?acted Impacts of the _rd-vidca_' mines in tr.e 5asin. Far crEatsr detail, _:,e <br />roilo~oing nuuii.catiors scouId be consulted: <br />• <br />(i) The inaiv-dual mining acP'.ica t_'o!'s. <br />