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• <br />of 10-5 tc 10-'` cr,/sec. 3eclaxmed spoils ere e:cpecter, to have ar, irf`1tr3ticn <br />capacitu of iG-1 to 1C-'1 cm,'sec. T.~e mine act.vitias should not impact any <br />reoional aquifers o*_her than the Third Flhi`e Sandstone. The mired strata dip- <br />deep beneath the Yampa Fiver ailuvi,:I acu!-er scu3ies cor:ducre9 bu ti:e aecl:- <br />cant indicate that the hydrologic connect-'on between the strata mi:>>d and t%e <br />31:uc^_al aquifer is negligible. Hc:rever, it is gonc:udad `hat act`v-ties at <br />the Trapper Mine .nay impact off-site ground [eater resources. <br />Foter.tial Ccmulative ;iydre?oaic -marts on Ground [Dater <br />Since all c. t.~e oraviouslu discussed mires are located in essentially the _ame <br />aydm.?Jgic basin, there -., the poto-~ntiai for sera of ti:~ indici~uai .react `c <br />Jverlap; thus, producin? curwlative impagts. Tho_e is little potent.=_I for a <br />region-wide cumclat've impact on tedrJCk aoci_'ers, but there is a corer.tial .`or <br />a region-wide n:mulative impact or. a11c-,-lal aquifers. <br />bedrock Aguife".-> <br />It __ un1i;:.:1y that the recioval bedrock acuifers in the Yampa P.iver Basin r:~i11 <br />be cumulatively iapacted by coal mining. There are several reasons for this <br />conclusion. First, the bedrocl: strata `n ~~e hash. icave beer: folded. The rsr_;rlt <br />_s that several. bedrock aquifer sub-basins ?:ave been ,,"ormed. The strata outcrop <br />along the edges of these sub-basins; thus, aror"ucirq discontincities is the <br />region=_1 aquifer floc) pattern. Second, the mines are far enouch removed from <br />each other that overlaptir.g cones of deor=scion ire unlike~p.. It as bear. doc- <br />umerted that water l~c-e1 decl-res do not n_;trend r,:cre than a mile or t:JO from the <br />;nines, d::e to low aouifer trarsmi.ssivities. .t is also a:rnec*_ed *_Y.at only one <br />of the mires, ;.he F,mpire Enerou 19ire, has the potential =~ a_`f~=ct water iEVaa <br />in the regional aquifers. Therefore, -t is u.nl.i.kely that min_'.ng in *_he Yampa <br />^iver Basin wi1Z cumulativelq affect avatar levels in any rec.ional bedrock aquifers. <br />The same conclusion can be gra[Jn ir. regard to :rater ?ualitn in the bedrock acuifers. <br />Only one mine is e%pected to have the octEntiai to sicnifica.ntly affect water quai- <br />itu in anu o the regional aquifers. .As mentioned earlier, reclaimed spoils at the <br />Traeger Mine :Dili he in c?imct hydrologic com;nunication with the Third r:hite Sand- <br />stone. GJater quality degrada u'on nay result. :VO other mines are expected to <br />inroact Che water ,ica:ity ir. the rigzonal bedrock aquifers. Therefore, ro cumct- <br />lativa impact snculd be tea=i zed. <br />AIZu'•ia_'. Aquifers <br />T:;e potential exists for the regional a1lur.al aquifers to be imracired ir. a cumu- <br />iati~:e fasiiie; Many or' the mines are iorated adjacen= to Jz' beneath these <br />aquifers. Both o-;ater nualit_u and c~;a*_er levels coc_'d be af_`aeted. These a. ,_ dis- <br />cussed indi~i'ua_'lu below. <br />Several mines have the 1?otential to cause cater levels to be lowered in the regional <br />alluvial aquifers. The -.m?i re Energy Min:=s (Lac1e ~'S ar:d =9) E`Xtract Coal froifl two <br />sums Berea is t:~e Yampa end :,'~1liarrs Fork Ri ter. Larye vJl:rmES cf :at=- rust co: - <br />• staral~ oe _r. ;:mrec `tom t.^e n_ne r.or: i:xn^.s. _t ~., ~ ;-ossi bi-etc that :come cf this <br />;ra tc-r is co-ing rrom the al=cvi.~1 acuifers. Ztcthi~ _; the cas~~, c~'a c•-r ~i:"ois in <br />in t.^e agvifrrs CJU1G drop. <br />