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• extensive the unconsolidated deposit, the more potential there is for ground-water recharge, discharge, and storage for long periods. There are numerous springs and ponds on the application area. All the springs overlie a minimum of 1,500 feet of overburden and are located in saturated unconsolidated deposits. The springs are a calcium sodium bicarbonate type. No springs issue from the Mesaverde Formation in the Paonia area, indicating the Mesaverde Formation is a recharge area, not a discharge area. Thera are no spacial floodplains, municipal watersheds or National Resources Waters located on the proposed lease tract. Water Rights and Use The Roatcap Creek Tract is within District 40 of Colorado Water Division 4. Presently, all surface and groundwater within the District is appropriated by the State of Colorado. There are water decrees in or adjacent to the tract with irrigation, industrial, recreation and domestic uses. Water flowing off the tract is crucial to satisfy water decrees downstream. J. Socioeconomic The proposed lease tract is located in Delta County and most of the workers live in Delta County and the mine buys locally as much as possible. These local expenditures by the mine affect mainly Delta County. Delta County, thus, is the focus of the economic impact area analysis. Between 1980 and 1990, Delta County experienced changes in its population. The 1980 population was 21,225 and the 1985 population was 23,466. The 1990 census puts the population at 20,980, a decrease of one percent over the 1980 population count. See Table 1 for the population of towns in Delta County. The Colorado Division of Local Government has made population projections for the period 1990-2015. Delta County is projected to have a population of 22,280 by 2015 or a 6.2 percent increase over 1990. Employment for Delta County increased from 7,600 in 1989 to 8,124 in 1990 or a 7 percent increase according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Mining employment was 345 in 1980 and dropped to 98 by 1989, a 72 percent decrease. In 1989 mining employment represented one percent of the county's employment. Mining earnings were 10.8 million in 1980 and decreased to 4.6 million by 1989. Mining earnings represented 13 percent of non farm earnings in 1980 and 4 percent of non farm earnings in 1989. I • TABLE 1 POPULATION OF TOWNS IN DELTA COUNTY TOWN 1980 1990 PERCENTAGE CHANGE CEDAREDGE 1,184 1,380 +17 CRAWFORD 268 221 -18 DELTA 3,931 3,789 - 4 HOTCHKISS 855 744 -13 ORCHARD CITY 1,914 2,218 +16 PAONIA 1,425 1,403 - 2 Page 9