GENERAL54560 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The Rollins Sandstone is the only sandstone with sufficient porosity and lateral extent to be considered a regional bedrock aquifer. This sandstone outcrops one mile south of the Blue Ribbon Mine in a narrow reach of the Hubbard Creek stream valley. GThe only wells in the region which are completed in this aquifer are located near the d wk's Nest Mine along the North Fork of the Gunnison River When faults and fractures are encountered in the North Fork region, they generally produce mine inflows. The flow characteristics of each mine inflow associated with faults and fractures depend upon the lateral extent and the proximity of the fault or fracture to a stream valley. All inflows from these sources are characterized by an initial surge of water which then either decreases or ceases completely with time. Mine inflow studies conducted have shown that the primary source of inflows are from fractures in areas of low overburden. There are no known wells or springs within the area that was mined above the E seam. The potential aquifers which may be affected by the Blue Ribbon Mine are the alluvium of Hubbard Creek, the Rollins Sandstone and the lenticular sandstones located stratigraphically above and below the mine. c. Surface Water The North Fork of the Gunnison River is the major drainage for the Blue Ribbon Mine. Hubbard Creek, a perennial stream, runs through the mine site and is a tributary to the North Fork. See the attached General Location map, Figure 1. The North Fork has an average annual streamflow at Somerset of approximately 313,500 acre-feet per year (1962 to 1979). The flow is regulated by the Paonia Reservoir on Muddy Creek five miles upstream of the town of Somerset. The reservoir became operational in 1962. Water yields during that period have ranged from a high of 601,800 acre-feet per year in water year 1984, to a low of 82,270 acre-feet in water year 1977. Water in the North Fork is of calcium bicarbonate type. There are also moderate levels of sulfate, and salinity averages less than 100 mg/l. Hubbard Creek provides both domestic and agricultural supplies of water. The Blue Ribbon Mine is located approximately two miles north and 500 feet above the confluence of Hubbard Creek and the North Fork of the Gunnison River. The watershed of Hubbard Creek is mountainous, ranging in elevation from 11,327 feet at Crater Peak to 5,900 feet at the confluence of Hubbard Creek with the North Fork. _2~_