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West Elk Mine <br />Surface and Groundwater Monitoring <br />Program Chanties: There aze three major revisions, which have changed MCC's monitoring <br />program since monitoring began in the 1970's. The first was TR#54, approved in 1987, which <br />temporarily discontinued monitoring of those resources located south of Minnesota Creek as it <br />would likely be many years before mining approached these locations. Monitoring of each <br />resource is to be reinitiated at least one yeaz prior to potential impacts from mining. The second <br />revision, TR#85, approved in 1998, eliminated some groundwater wells that were no longer <br />providing reliable information. The third revision, TR#88, approved in 1999, eliminated springs <br />and groundwater wells, as a result of a hydrogeologic investigation completed by Mayo and <br />Associates (see Exhibit 18). <br />Schedule of Monitorine In TR#54 MCC, based on a statistical analysis of annual flows, also <br />established "sampling windows" in which the water resources would be sampled to capture the <br />rising limb, the peak, and low flow of the hydrograph. These windows are: <br />Rising Limb Apri13 to May 13 <br />Peak Apri121 to June 26 <br />Low Flow July 10 to October 8 <br /> <br />There will be three distinct sampling periods. <br />Surface Water Monitoring <br />In 1977 Mountain Coal Company installed, and has since maintained and operated, a network of <br />six continuous recording stream gaging stations to establish the baseline surface water hydrology <br />for the permit and adjacent azeas of the West Elk Mine and provide a method of assessing the <br />impacts of mining during the life of the West Elk Mine. Five of these gaging stations aze located in <br />the Minnesota Creek drainage basin on Horse Creek, Lick Creek, South Prong, Upper Dry Fork, <br />and Lower Dry Fork. The sixth gaging station is located on Sylvester Gulch a tributary of the North <br />Fork adjacent to the surface facilities. Data records for all of these gaging stations, in both tabulaz <br />and graphic fonn have been provided to CDMG in previous permit submittals for the West Elk <br />Mine. These data aze also found in the Annual Hydrologic Reports. This comprehensive data base <br />has served to more than adequately characterize the baseline surface water hydrology across the <br />mine plan azea for the West Elk Mine. <br />In addition to the original five gaging stations, Mountain Coal Company has installed and operates <br />a gaging station on the main stem of Minnesota Creek, the Lower Minnesota Creek (USGS) gaging <br />station and on the East Fork of Minnesota Creek just upstream of the confluence of East Fork and <br />Dry Fork, Upper Mirmesota Creek (USFS) gaging station. MCC also collects flow data from the <br />North Fork of the Gunnison at the Upper North Fork gaging station, which is a USGS gaging <br />station. MCC has since installed additional gaging stations at Middle Dry Fork and Upper and <br />Lower Deep Creek. The locations of all surface water gaging stations can be found on Map 34. The <br />currently monitored stations aze listed in Table 5 in Section 2.04.7. <br />_ In addition to providing baseline data, a portion of the Minnesota Creek gaging station network will <br />2.05-70 Reviud Dec. 1997 MR208,~ Revised Jan. 19997888 <br />