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<br />-31- <br />Undermining of the Purgatoire River might be expected to deplete-flaw in the <br />stream/alluvial aquifer system. Using an estimated value of effective <br />vertical permeability of 0.00021 ft/d, the downward flow of water from the <br />body of alluvium was estimated to be 441 ft. /d or only 2.3 gpm. This <br />calculation was made for vertical leakage of surface water through the <br />overburden to the mine workings. The overburden strata act as an aquitard, <br />restricting the downward movement of water. This small water loss from the <br />stream/alluvial aquifer system would have an insignificant impact on <br />Purgatoire River flows or alluvial ground water levels. <br />An inflow study for the Maxwell Mine was conducted in November, 1983. This <br />study consisted of the mapping of all mine inflows, measuring or estimating <br />inflow rates, and determining inflow sources. The information on Maxwell Mine <br />inflows is contained in the WFC Submittal 3 and the Maxwell Mine Map submitted <br />December 1, 1983. <br />fault and fracture systems have not been encountered in the Maxwell Mine to <br />date. The applicant, however, anticipates encountering fault and fracture <br />systems similar to those encountered in the adjacent Allen Mine. The faults <br />and fractures are dry in the Allen Mine and are anticipated to be dry in the <br />Maxwell Mine, as well. There are no mine inflows through the floor of the <br />Maxwell Mine. Therefore, the mine is not impacting underlying aquifers. <br />The largest point source mine inflows were 3 to 10 gpm from 2 air shafts and 1 <br />unsealed drill hole. These point source inflows are probably the result of <br />dewatering of overlying perched aquifers penetrated by the drill hole and air <br />shafts. The total mine inflow from point sources amounted to 16 gpm, or 53X <br />of the total mine inflow (30 gpm). The remaining mine inflows were from <br />weeping coal faces and weeping rock strata along the length of the rock slope <br />incline. These weeping areas contribute inflows approximating 14 gpm, or 4TX <br />of the total inflow. These weeps represent dewatering of the coal aquifer. <br />The highest weep flows, totalling 11 gpm, are in the mine workings beneath the <br />Apache Canyon stream channel. Mine workings beneath the Ciruela Canyon <br />drainage only receive about 1 gpm from weeping coal faces. Development <br />mining, to date, is not significantly impacting the overlying stream/alluvial <br />systems. <br />The Maxwell mine has undergone only development mining. Thus, there has not <br />been any pillaring or longwall mining which would result in subsidence. There <br />are no subsided areas in the Maxwell Mine from which the quantity of inflows <br />resulting from subsidence can be measured. Empirical data on inflows to <br />mined-out areas is, however, available from the Allen Mine. The calculated <br />inflow rate per acre of mined-out workings at the Allen Mine is 0.03 <br />gpm/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 />