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On March 29, 1993, BME submitted a plan to use the Rapid Bioassessment Protocol III <br />' per EPA guidelines. Under this plan, BME would test the extent of impairment, if any, on <br />the aquatic life in the White River due to the mine water discharge. It would involve <br />sampling and testing of micro-invertebrates. No fish would be collected since the U.S. <br />' Fish and Wildlife refused to grant permission to do so because of the endangered <br />squawfish being planted in the river. BME never heard from WOCD or received WOCD's <br />' approval of this plan. WOCD thinks it is now not necessary to do this task since the mine <br />passed the WET test during for three water years (1994-1997). Besides, no mine water is <br />discharged at this time requiring WET testing. See Appendix H of the Thirteenth Annual <br />' Hydrology Report for WOCD's letter. <br />' The toxicity problem with the mine water was limited to the first longwall district. Mining in <br />this district was completed in early 1993. The district has since been sealed underground. <br />There has been no pumping of accumulated water from underground during this water <br />year. <br />2.3 Red Wash Alluvial Monitoring Program <br />Portions of Red Wash have experienced subsidence due to longwall mining at the Deserado <br />Mine. As required by CMLRD (now DMG), BME initiated a detailed hydrology monitoring <br />program in Red Wash above the first longwall panel to be mined. The monitoring program <br />consisted of nine (9) holes drilled in the Red Wash alluvium across the predicted zone of <br />subsidence from longwall panel 1 (LW-1 ). Water levels in the holes were monitored before, <br />during, and after active subsidence took place. The purpose of the monitoring program was <br />to determine if surface flow in Red Wash was being lost to bedrock as the result of <br />subsidence. <br />The monitoring data, analysis and conclusions reached were submitted to CMLRD in an <br />Interim Report, November 1987, and in the Third Annual Hydrology Report, January 1988. <br />The purpose of the monitoring program was met in that it was determined that surface flow <br />in Red Wash was not lost to bedrock as a result of subsidence. The major conclusions of <br />the study were: <br />• Recharge of the basal alluvium was from the upper sandstone facies (bedrock) <br />and not from infiltration of surface runoff. <br />• Subsidence cracks in Red Wash as the result of longwall mining were quickly <br />filled with clay and silt preventing loss of surface water flow to bedrock. <br />11 <br />