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INTRODUCTION <br />Peabody Coal Company (hereinafter "Peabody") is developing the Seneca II-W Mine <br />in Routt County, Colorado, about 7 miles south of Hayden. The Seneca II-W Mine will be <br />a surface coal mine using conventional dragline methods. Water will be required for <br />domestic and industrial purposes at the mine site and will be developed from ground <br />water and surface water sources. Also, ground water will be intercepted by the <br />excavation in the overburden material and coal seams. Such water will be pumped from <br />the excavated areas, decanted in ponds and released to the stream system or used for <br />industrial purposes. <br />Peabody plans to begin mining at the Seneca II-W Mine in 1990 and to extract coal <br />through 2004 (15 years). The coal will be extracted from five pit areas, referred to as <br />the north Wadge, middle Wadge, south Wadge, Wolf Creek and Sage Creek pits. These pit <br />areas are shown in Plate I. The coal will be hauled by truck from the Mine to the <br />Hayden Station Powerplant, which is operated by Colorado-Ute Electric Association. <br />Any secondary processing of the coal will be performed by Colorado-Ute. Reclamation <br />of the excavated areas will coincide with the mining activities. Revegetation of the <br />. disturbed areas will not require irrigation, based on Peabody's experience of reclamation <br />at the Seneca II Mine, which is located about 8 miles northeast of the Seneca II-W Mine. <br />The Seneca II-W Mine is located in the Dry Creek watershed, which is tributary to <br />the Yampa River. The streamflow in Dry Creek has been appropriated by others for <br />irrigation, domestic and stock water purposes beginning in 1904. Dry Creek is considered <br />to be an over-appropriated stream. This means that during part of the year the existing <br />water uses or demands exceed the available streamflow. Water uses at the Seneca II-W <br />Mine will be junior to existing water rights on Dry Creek. As such, it is necessary to <br />develop water supplies for the Seneca II-W Mine in such a way that the available water <br />supplies for existing uses are not diminished. <br />This report describes Peabody's water uses and stream depletions, addresses <br />potential impacts to other water uses, and recommends the elements of a plan for <br />augmentation. Data and information for this report were obtained from Peabody and <br />GeoTrans, Inc.,. from site inspections, from the records of the State Engineer, and from <br />interviews with the Water Commissioner and others. <br />SETTING <br />The Seneca 11-W Mine is located in portions of Sections 10, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, <br />26, 27, 34 and 35, Township S North, Range 88 West of the 6th P. M. Precipitation at <br />