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detectable effect of mining on river water quality. As expected, dissolved solids <br />decrease with increasing flow rate in the rivers. This is due to the effects of snow melt <br />and high rainfall diluting the water. <br />SPRINGS <br />FLOWS <br />One spring on the mine site area is being monitored. The spring is the #1 Strip Pit <br />Discharge. The #1 Strip Pit Discharge is an NPDES monitoring point (Ouffall 022). <br />There are a few other springs and local permanent "damp spots" in the area; however, <br />their combined flow is normally less than 10 gpm and is therefore not significant. The <br />annual discharges for the #1 Strip Pit are presented in Figure 25 and the 1996 <br />• discharge measurements are presented on Figure 26. The discharge from the #1 <br />Strip Pit increased significantly in 1989. This may have been due to seepage from the <br />ditch that conveys the 7 North Angle discharge. The 7 North Angle discharge began <br />in January of 1989. However, discharge rates from 1990 through 1993 are <br />considerably lower and within the range observe during 1982 through 1986. <br />Nevertheless, snowmelt and ditch seepage both appear to have some influence on <br />the Strip Pit discharge, as the discharge generally drops to just a few gpm from <br />January through May with a small peak in March coinciding with spring runoff. <br />• <br />C-el-Oa4 1996 AHR. I\EMPIREWHR\96AHR\EMPAHR96.DOC Page 12 <br />