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IV. GROUND WATER <br />GROUND WATER ELEVATIONS <br />Water levels in the alluvial wells at the Edna Mine have remained constant <br />over the period of record with minor fluctuations occurring seasonally. Elevations <br />of the water in the alluvial wells and the West Ridge spoils well are shown in <br />Figure 20. In reviewing the data, it is apparent that the spoils well (WR-1) has <br />reached steady state and exhibits consistent seasonal fluctuations. The seasonal <br />fluctuations result from spring snowmelt causing a mounding of water in the perched <br />aquifer which drains over the summer via discharge from a spring on the lower <br />portion of West Ridge near the elevation of Trout Creek. <br />GROUND WATER QUALITY <br /> Comparisons of water quality data gathered from the alluvial wells at the Edna <br /> Mine must be exercised with caution due to the differi ng stratigraphic units <br /> intersected along Trout Creek adjacent to the various wells. The alluvium in the <br /> vicinity of Well TR-1.5 intersects stratigraphy above the Wadge coal seam while the <br />alluvium in the vicinity of TR-3 intersects stratigraphy below the Wadge seam. <br />Alluvium in the vicinity of TR-9 intersects even lower stratigraphic units than <br />those at TR-3. The influence from contact with the differing lithologies is not <br />able to be quantified, therefore, differences between the wells may not be responses <br />to mining related activities. <br />Temperature/pH <br />Temperature (Figure 21) and pH (Figure 22) in 1997 followed the expected <br />trends with temperature exhibiting typical seasonal fluctuations and pH remaining <br />relatively constant over the monitoring period. The amount of temperature <br />fluctuation in Well WR-1 is somewhat greater than expected suggesting the flow to <br />the perched aquifer, although subsurface, is very shallow. <br />\J <br />27 <br />