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West Elk Mine 2003 Annual Hydrology Report <br />4.5 Mine Water Inflows <br />In WY2003, several significant inflows occurred during development mining for longwall Panel <br />22. The first inflow occurred in December 2002 in the 22 tailgate sump. The initial flow in this <br />area was 20 to 30 gpm and it stabilized at 10 gpm in a few days. The second inflow occurred in <br />January 2003 from a fault in 22 tailgate crosscut 5 and 6. The initial flow at this site was 35 to 45 <br />gpm and it stabilized to 5 to 10 gpm by February 2003. The third inflow occurred in 22 tailgate <br />crosscut 29 to 30 on July 9, 2003. The initial flow at this site was 1,700 gpm and it stabilized to <br />100 gpm by December 2003. The fourth inflow occurred in September 2003 in 22 tailgate <br />crosscuts 38 to 42. The initial flow at this site was 30 to 35 gpm and it stabilized to < 5 gpm in a <br />few days. The final inflow occurred in August 2003 in 22 headgate crosscut 32 to 33. The initial <br />flow at this site was about 400 gpm and it stabilized to 120 gpm by December 2003. In addition, <br />some small inflows (<15 gpm) were encountered during mine development and longwall mining. <br />These flows and drips occurred as roof drips, rib seeps, and minor fault zones. Total mine inflows <br />during WY2003 were estimated at 56 gpm (91 ac-ft/year) (MCC, 2004). <br />4.5.1 NW Panels Sealed Sump <br />During WY2003, MCC water from the NW Panels Sealed Sump was drained through a borehole to <br />the NE Panels Sealed Sump. There was no discharge from the NW Panels Sealed Sump to the <br />Lone Pine Pipeline (MCC, 2004). <br />4.5.2 NE Panels Sealed Sump <br />During WY2003, water collected in the NE Panels Sealed Sump was pumped out of the sump <br />using the mine water pumping facility (MWPF) up the vertical well and discharged to Sylvester <br />Gulch. A clarifying pond and energy dissipater system is located at this discharge point. <br />4.5.3 Mine Water Sampling <br />During WY2003 as in WY2002, sampling of mine water inflows was hampered by the locations of <br />the inflows. Fault inflows occur in low places on the mine floor, which allows mixing of belt <br />wash-down water, process water, road maintenance (road watering mixed with magnesium <br />chloride), and rock dusting operations. However, eight representative mine water samples were <br />collected and analyzed at seven sites the Panel 22 Tailgate and Headgate and one sample was <br />collected from the Panel 14 Headgate fault. A summary of the mine water quality is in Appendix <br />H. <br />29 <br />September 2004 HydroGeq Inc. <br />