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-32- Faults and fractures may be encountered during future mining downdip in the "E", "Wild", and "D" coal seams. If these faults and fractures subcrop below the North Fork alluvium, they may provide a conduit for the flow of ground water to the mine workings. This would cause a localized depletion of ground water in the alluvium. This depletion, however, would quickly be replenished by surface water recharge from the North Fork. The impacts to downstream alluvial ground water users would be negligible. No measureable reduction of flows in the IVorih Fork would be anticipated as a result of fault or fracture induced mine inflows. A fracture system producing mine inflows has been encountered ai Hawk's Nest. The rate of mine inflows from this fracture system fluctuates seasonally in response to fluctuations in recharge to the fracture system. The recharge area for the fracture system is the channel of an overlyiny ephemeral stream, Hawk's Nest i:reek, and the inflow reflects the fluctuations in the flow of this stream. Due to the shallow alluvial-colluvial cover in the stream channel and the steep stream gradient, the quantity of water which is intercepted by the fracture system is insignificant. The outcrop of the Rollins sandstone will not be undermined by the Hawk's (Vest I~iine and therefore the recharge to this aquifer will not be affected by mining operations. IVo seeps from the mine floor have been observed in the mine. Therefore, the Rollins sandstone is not discharging up into the mine workings. The Hawk's Nest Mine is not impacting the quantity of ground wafer in the Rollins sandstone. The discontinuous lenticular sandstones which overlie and underlie the coal seams to be mined may contain perched aquifers. The quantity of ground water in these aquifers may be impacted. The mining operation will undermine the recharge areas of these aquifers, as well as the aquifers themselves. No water supply wells are completed in perched lenticular aquifers in the region, and the potential future use of these aquifers is limited by the depth of drilling required, the steepness of the valley slopes, and the low water yields. Therefore, even though the mine may affect the quantity of water in these aquifers, no water supply wells will be impacted now or in the future. Some of these discontinuous sandstones support the flow of small springs and seeps. Springs located above the mine workinys and within the subsidence angle of draw may be impacted by mining. Spring flow may be depleted if fractures encountered in the mine or fractures resulting from the mining operation intersect perched aquifers which support springs. This in turn would result in a depletion of surface water flows. The applicant has located and monitored eleven springs and seeps within and adjacent to the pennit area ~sub~nittal dated October 15, 1982). Three of the sprinys are perennial, the remainder are ephemeral. Dewatering of these springs would result in a maximwn possible depletion of 16.085 gpm or .0086 of the average flow in the North Fork, which is insignificant.