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,;, iii iiiiiiiiiiiu iii MEMO To: Larry Ohler From: Berhan Keffelew Subject: Hydro Review, Permit Number M-99-005 Date: June 2, 1999 As you requested, I have reviewed the permit application relating to ground water. In addition, I have also inspected the site, at the request of the operator, on 5/25/99. The site inspection was only cursory and concentrated on ground water wells present within the proposed and adjacent areas and the overall permit area in relation to the Arkansas river. Most of the proposed area to be mined in the North is located within the l00 yeaz floodplain of the Arkansas River. This area is proposed to be mined using a dragline to remove the gravel and does not plan to expose more than two acres of ground water at the surface at any given time during operations and an 80 acre lake as part of the post mining lad use. No de-watering of the mined pit is expected. The operator will be required [o obtain a water augmentation plan from the State Engineers prior to exposing any ground water. The South Borrow pit area is proposed to be mined with out exposing any ground water. According to State Engineers record, there are forty nine permitted wells in Section 1~T23~$c R55 W,6TH PM. No recorded wells were found in section 36. The well depths range rot m 20feet to 800 feet. The 800 feet being in the bed rock aquifer below the Shale. Most of the wells however, are above the shale in the alluvium aquifer. According to the operator, the recently drilled well with in the permit area encountered the shale, at a depth of 34 feet. The static water level for the recorded wells range between 7 feet and 460 feet, with yields ranging between Igpm and 1200gpm. According to the operator, they have agreed not to mine within 200 feet of some of the wells located adjacent to the permit area as required by the Rules and Regulations for man made structures. During the site inspection, static ground water was noted at or near the surface in certain area of the permit as a result of the recent flooding the area has encountered. The major rechazge for these wells appear to come from the Arkansas River. In addition to the River, the many imgation ditches both lined and unlined will most likely influence the recharge rate. Since these shallow wells are above the shale, and the material above it is also shallow and permeable, the lag time between a measurable precipitation event and recharge can safely be assumed to be minimum. The static water table noted near or at the surface due to recent flooding of the area is a good evidence of this condition. With all the factors involved in recharging these wells and the fact that only two acres of surface area exposing ground water is planned for this operation during mining and an 80 acre lake for post mining, the impact to adjacent wells well be negligible. CC: James Stevens