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• SPOIL SPRING MONITORING <br />A spoil spring monitoring program was initiated in 1986 and will be conducted annually until <br />such time as the monitoring requirement is eliminated. According to the approved plan, the <br />annual mine-wide survey is conducted during May with springs measured for flow and field <br />parameters. If a spring is discharging 35 gallons per minute or greater, it is monitored <br />throughout the remainder of the year in accordance with the monitoring plan. <br />The field data for the 1998 spoil spring monitoring program is presented on Table 30. A plot of <br />the historic flow data for Pond 87 and spoil spring 114 is presented on Figure 64. Due to <br />pumping of Site 114 for water supply by Twentymile Coal Company, discharge from the spring <br />occurred for only a short period during the spring. The associated discharge from Pond F <br />ceased by mid-May. Four additional springs with flows greater than 35 gpm were recorded at <br />Mine 1 and Eckman Park. Spring D Comp serves as a composite sampling point for the A, B, <br />and C series springs at Eckman Park above Pond A. The flow data indicates that the spoil <br />springs follow the same pattern as the surface runoff: very low flow during most of the year <br />and a very rapid increase in flow during the spring runoff followed by a moderately rapid <br />decrease in flow. <br />1998 water quality data for spoil springs which were sampled for water quality are presented <br />on Tables 31 through 43. Tables 31a through 43a provide period of record statistical <br />summaries for the monitored sites and Tables 31b through 43b provide period of record flow <br />summaries for the sites. <br />The data for the Mine 1 spoil springs shows a maximum field conductivity value of 5000 <br />umhos/cm (Spring 1891603) during the 1998 water year. Spring 114 is typically the dominant <br />• influence in this area during the Annual Spring Survey. However, at the time of the survey this <br />spring was being utilized for the mine water supply. The data for the Eckman Park spoil <br />springs show a maximum field conductivity value of 4000 umhos/cm (OV61TD) during the <br />1998 water year. During the winter when Foidel Creek flows are dominated by spoil spring <br />discharges, the creek's conductivity level approaches that of the spoil springs. The <br />conductivity of the spoil springs shows temporal fluctuations that most likely reflect spoil <br />recharge events of low TDS snowmelt. The lowest TDS concentrations in the spoil springs <br />typically occur during the Spring snowmelt period. <br />Figure 70 indicates that the water quality in Foidel Creek (Site 8) is influenced by the water <br />quality of the discharge from Pond A. Pond A receives the discharge of the largest spoil <br />springs. The spoil spring 114 discharge, which feeds site 87 (Pond F) is characterized by high <br />dissolved solids, calcium, magnesium, sulfate and SAR compared with bedrock groundwater, <br />other spoil springs and unaffected surface waters. Station 114 also shows comparatively high <br />manganese and high nitrate levels. <br />Spoil spring discharges as measured from Mine 1 and Eckman Park totaled approximately <br />2.94 cfs during the spring survey of 1998. <br />EFFLUENT MONITORING <br />A number of sedimentation control structures at Mine 1 and 2 are monitored. Of these only <br />Stations 39 (Pond A), 84 (Pond D) at Mine 1 had significant flows during the 1998 irrigation <br />season. Stations 57 (Pond H), 41, 87 (Pond F), (Pond K), and 91 (Pond M) showed no flows <br />or minor flows only during the spring runoff. None of the stations at Mine 2 had significant <br />• flows in 1998. Most of the Eckman Park and Mine 1 ponds are in the Foidel Creek drainage, <br />only Pond H (Site 57) is in the Middle Creek drainage. Pond M on Mine 2 is in the Fish Creek <br />cycc98 06/11/99 8 <br />