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Doc Date:1 211 112 0 01 ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ ~ ~ Eta 999 FEB 02 1996 1995 ANNUALSITYDROLOGICEMONITORING'Vf REPORTef215 tS Ueoio9v Introduction • Oxbow Carbon & Minerals, Inc., operates the Sanborn Creek Mine, and the now abandoned Somerset Mine. The Somerset Mine surface facilities are located immediately north of the Town of Somerset. The Sanborn Creek Mine portals are located about one mile east of Somerset, Colorado near State Highway 133. Coal from the Sanborn Creek Mine is conveyed to the surface facilities where, along with coal from other mines in the area, is loaded onto rail cars for shipment. The Somerset Mine, Sanborn Creek Mine, and surface facilities are located within the North Fork of the Gunnison River drainage, which drains generally westward to the Gunnison River, which is a tributary to the Colorado River. The North Fork drainage ranges in altitude from 5,550 feet to 12,000 feet and drains 1,253 square miles, producing an average annual discharge of some 470,000 acre feet of water or an average discharge of about 650 cubic feet per second (Department of Agriculture 1962). The average annual discharge of the North Fork of the Gunnison River at the U.S. Geological Survey gauging station 2.3 miles east of Somerset is 313,300 acre feet of water, or an average discharge of 457 cubic feet per second. Peak flows generally occur in May as a result of snowmelt with minimum flows during the winter months. Surface drainage from the permit area runs directly to the North Fork of the Gunnison River. One perennial, three intermittent, and eight ephemeral creeks and gulches drain the permit area. From west to east, the creeks shown on drawing E8-3286 are known as: Hubbard Creek Perennial Bear Creek Intermittent Elk Creek Intermittent Sanborn Creek Intermittent Unnamed Drainage Ephemeral Coal Gulch Ephemeral A-Gulch Ephemeral B-Gulch Ephemeral C-Gulch Ephemeral Hawksnest Creek Ephemeral Hoopla Gulch Ephemeral Sardine Canyon Ephemeral •