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• E-1-Lower Elk Creek <br />Surface water monitoring point E-1 -Lower Elk Creek, an ephemeral drainage, is monitored as a <br />down gradient site to verify that the Elk Creek mine and the surface facility located at Somerset <br />does not have an adverse affect on the quality of runoff in the drainage. Due to the prevailing <br />drought conditions, during 2004 there was, again, minimal stream flow at E-1. An analysis of <br />the limited data suggests there is no adverse impact of the Elk Creek mine to Lower Elk Creek. <br />E-2- Upper Elk Creek <br />Surface water monitoring point E-2 -Upper Elk creek, an ephemeral drainage, is monitored to <br />verify that the Elk Creek mine does not have an adverse affect on the quality of runoff in the <br />drainage. In addition, the site will serve as an up-gradient site to monitor Elk Creek prior to <br />entering the OMLLC surface facility. Due to the prevailing drought conditions, during 2004 <br />there was, again, minimal flow at E-2. <br />S-1 - Unper Sanbom Creek and S-2 -Lower Sanborn Creek <br />Surface water monitoring points S-1 -Upper Sanborn Creek and S-2 -Lower Sanborn Creek <br />were established to monitor the flow in ephemeral Sanbom Creek above and below the disturbed <br />area of the Sanborn Creek Mine site. Sanborn Creek also received discharge water from the <br />Sanborn Creek mine, consisting primarily of natural mine water inflows and some runoff of <br />• imported (from the North Fork intake) water from the mining sections. The mine water <br />discharge (CDPS discharge point 011) commingled with upper Sanborn Creek flow for a <br />distance of approximately 300 feet through culverts under the railroad and highway prior to <br />discharging into the North Fork of the Gunnison River. The S-2 sample site is located at the <br />outlet of the culvert, prior to the confluence with the river. Because of the closure of the Sanborn <br />Creek mine, and the termination of discharge point 011, the S-2 sample site was no longer <br />needed and, thus, eliminated from the OMLLC hydrologic monitoring program. (TR-45). <br />Sanbom Creek, an ephemeral stream, flows at monitoring point S-1 during spring runoff and <br />significant precipitation events. During 2004, S-1 had minimal flows and by mid-June flows had <br />ceased altogether. <br /> <br />C-1 -Lower Coal Gulch <br />Surface water monitoring point C-1 -Lower Coal Gulch, an ephemeral drainage, is monitored to <br />verify that the Sanborn Creek mine does not have an adverse affect on the quality of runoff in <br />this drainage. Due to prevailing drought conditions, during 2004 there was, again, minimal flow <br />in Coal Gulch. <br />NF - 1 and 3 -North Fork of the Gunnison River <br />Surface water monitoring points NF-1 (North Fork upstream) and NF-3 (North Fork <br />. downstream) were selected to monitor the water quality in the North Fork of the Gunnison River <br />above and below the disturbed surface mine site of the Sanborn Creek and Elk Creek Mines. <br />Monitoring point NF-3 was established in September 1997 to monitor mining-related water <br />quality impacts from the West Valley coal refuse pile. It should be noted that NF-3 is also <br />