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Spoils Water Quality Data. An indication of the affect of mining on water quality is also provided by monitoring data from the Nue7a Mine, where coal and overburden properties are ai miler to those at Nucla East. Wnlla CW-N10, GW-N 26, GN-N27 and GW-N28 ware dri 11 ad and completed in spoil material aC the Nucla Nine. Well GW-N10, dr111ed in 1979, has a saturated thi cknesa of less than 0.5 ft and therefore, no water sample could Da col lected_ Well GW-N27 hwvever, drilled in August of 1987, was successfully aamplad two months lator, and currently has a saturated thi ckneaa of about 6 ft. Wells GW-N26 a~ GW-N2B, al ao drilled in August/Septembsr 1987, do not contain enough water to toll eat a sample from. A comparison of mean parameter concentrations for Nucla mi ning area overburden, Nuela Eaat ml ni ng area overburden, epos ls, spoil spring and NPDES Pond 001 xater qual/ty to preaentad in Table 17-74. 8eeauae only one sample analysis has been obCained from Spoil Nell GW-N27, spoils concentrations for the spoil roll and Spoil Spring !1 were averaged and considered representative oT the spoil aquifer. Comparisons De Mean the Nucla minS ng area overburden aquifer water chemistry and apoit aquifer rrdter chemistry indicate the! alkalinity, bicarbonate, and colas us era the only major Sona with tnereased concentrait one in the spoil. Concantrati on inereaaea ranged from 5 Co 13 parent. Fluoride is the only trace elanent thaC increased 1n coneentratton in the ~spoi 1. Ths mean apotl TDS level to • tt percent, lower than the moan TDS level for the Nut18 overburden aquifer. A eompari son of the Nucla mining area overburden aquifer ehemi airy with the 007 pond <henisiry showed that only the trace elements boron and fluoride inereaaed al ightl y. The mean TDS level measured in the ODl pond 1s 33 Dercent loner. A compari eon of Nucla mining area overburden aquifer chaos eery xfth riucla East mi of ng area overburden aquifer chemistry shows that. of the major ions, magnesium, sodium and sulfate levels are hlgher in the Nuola East mining area reaul ti ng in a mean TOS lncreass of 22 percent. Fluoride and nl irate xaro the Doty other parameters oboes ng increases in the Nucle East mining area. The drametlc increase 7n nt trace eoneentrationa 1s probably a reel eotl on of the greater intenalty of irrigatf on land use fmnediataly upgradi ant of the monltori ng walla. Based on these date, no adverse changes in ground xater eheeli airy due to mf nt ng in the Nuela of ntng area have occurred. All spoil and spoil spring TDS levels are below those measured in the overburden mnltoring wells. Although the Nueta Eaat overburden aquifer neon TDS level is higher than that at the Nuela mining area, the spoil maser{al is expected to yield water with TDS levels that are no greater Nan those measured in the overburden aquifer in the Nu<la East ni ni ng arse. 17-59 Revi aed 04/l7/88 • REVISED MARCH 2006 Attachment 2.05.6(3)-2-69