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Permit C-81-071 1996 Annual Hydrology Report <br />INTRODUCTION <br />The Colorado Yampa Coal Company Mine 1, Mine 2 and Eckman Park Mine are located <br />approximately 25 miles southwest of Steamboat Springs, Colorado in Twentymile Park (Figure <br />1). They are all inactive surface coal mining operations. <br />Mine 1 and the Eckman Park Mine (collectively called Mine 1 in this report) are located near the <br />top of the Foidel Creek drainage in the south end of Twentymile Park. Avery small portion of <br />the disturbed area extends into the Middle Creek drainage. The Wadge Coal seam was <br />extracted during active mining operations. Active mining has ceased with a total of <br />approximately 2200 acres having been mined in Eckman Park. Only a small dragline "parking" <br />area remains to be reclaimed at the operation. A total of approximately 3175 acres has been <br />disturbed at Mine 1. This includes a coal loadout, and maintenance and administrative facilities, <br />most of which have been transferred to Twentymile Coal Company. Also, Mine 1 is adjacent to <br />Twentymile Coal Company's Foidel Creek underground mine. The operations share some of <br />the discharge control facilities. A spur of the Southern Pacific Railroad runs to the mine site. <br />Mine 2 is located on the south side of the Fish Creek drainage in the middle of Twentymile <br />Park. The Fish Creek coal seam, which overlies the Wadge coal seam, was extracted at Mine <br />2. No active mining is taking place at Mine No. 2 and the area has been completely backfilled, <br />regraded, and revegetated. A total of approximately 885 acres were disturbed at Mine 2. <br />• Hydrologic monitoring has been conducted in the area since 1975. Surface coal mining and <br />reclamation activities in the Mine 1 area were conducted from the 1960's to 1991. Surface coal <br />mining in the Mine 2 area was conducted from 1975 to 1981. This report covers the hydrologic <br />monitoring for the 1996 water year. The previous monitoring of this area has been presented in <br />prior Annual Hydrologic Reports. The following discussions regarding hydrologic monitoring <br />has been divided into four parts: 1) ground water, 2) surface water, 3) spoil springs, and 4) <br />effluent sites. The monitoring locations are shown on Figures 2 and 3 and monitoring <br />requirements are summarized on Table 1. The required monitoring parameter lists are shown <br />on Tables 2 and 3. Complete listings of all water data collected at the monitoring sites during <br />the 1996 water year are provided with this report on Tables 4 through 49. Statistical <br />summaries of period of record water quality data are typically presented as Tables 4a through <br />49a. Statistical summaries of period of record flow rate or water level data as appropriate are <br />typically provided as Tables 4b through 49b. Surface water station historical flow summaries <br />are presented on Table 17. Spoil spring survey data from May 1996 are presented on Table 30 <br />and sediment pond flow summary information is presented on Table 44. Selected data is <br />plotted on Figures 4 through 76. Unless otherwise indicated, reference to a year means the <br />1996 water year (October 1, 1995 through September 30, 1996). <br />Hydrologic monitoring during 1996 was conducted by Colorado Yampa/Twentymile Coal <br />Company personnel and Miller Water Monitor Service. Water quality analyses were performed <br />by ACZ Laboratories of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Until the 1989 water year the U. S. <br />Geological Survey (USGS) collected and analyzed the water samples for three surface water <br />monitoring sites (USGS 09234700, 09243800 and 09234900). Beginning in the 1989 water <br />. year, Cyprus collected the samples and ACZ Laboratories analyzed the samples, however, <br />USGS continued to monitor flows.. <br />L~DOCUMENTWHR~ECKMAN~EP9fiTEXT.DOC 03@8/97 Page 1 <br />