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. The quality of the mine water as presented in the Hydro-Geo report indicates it is of <br />bicarbonate, sulfate type with a relatively low concentration of total dissolved solids. <br />Mine water monitoring from 2001 to 2005 reports Electrical Conductance (EC) values <br />ranging from 540 to 5700 umho/cm with a average of 1918 and a pH range of 7.3 to <br />8.69. <br />Data gathered for SW-1 and GW-3 are presented below. The Division's 1987 Material <br />Damage guidelines require any measured salinity values over 1000 umho/cm be <br />reported as `suspect' values. Since baseline values for SW-1 and GW-3 far exceed the <br />Division's `suspect' levels, the Operator compiled data in order to demonstrate mine <br />discharge does not add salinity to the already high values, rather, can only lower the <br />salinity in SW-1 and GW-3 during the irrigation season. By improving the salinity of the <br />waters in East Salt Creek and the East Salt Creek alluvium, downstream farmers will <br />not suffer loss of production due to the addition of mine discharge. <br />The following table presents the impact the mine water discharge would have on the EC <br />in East Salt Creek measured above the McClane Canyon Mine at SW-1 during irrigation <br />season (April -October): <br />Table N-1 <br />PHC East Salt (2001-2005) Creek SW-1 <br />1 Conductivity <br />Irrigation <br />Season Increase Decrease <br />2001 -1.6% <br />2002 -21.0% <br />2003 -5.3% <br />2004 -18.2% <br />2005 0.2% <br />5-Year mass balance -10.9% <br />Mine discharge generally improves the conductivity of East Salt Creek surface waters. <br />However, in 2005 there was a slight increase, but the 0.2% increase is nearly negligible <br />as the increase was only 4 micromhos/cm. The mass balance for the irrigation season <br />Appendix N - 3 - 06/06 <br />