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West Elk Mine 2004 Annual Hydrology Report 9 • 3.1.1 Upper North Fork Drainage Basin Surface Water Monitoring Stations 3.1.1.1 Deep Creek Deep Creek is a perennial stream that drains the Box Canyon panel azea. The Upper Deep Creek monitoring station is located up-gradient of the Box Canyon mine panel area and the West Flatiron LBA. The Lower Deep Creek monitoring station is down-gradient of the SE mine panel area and is directly east of mine Panel 14 (Map 2). 3.1.1.2 Box Cannon Box Canyon is an ephemeral stream drainage. The upper reach of the drainage is typically dry and the lower reach of the drainage only flows during storm events and during the spring months in above average precipitation years. The Box Canyon monitoring station is located at the mouth of the drainage and was established to monitor the area down-gradient of the Box Canyon panel area (Map 2). 3.1.1.3 North Fork Upper • The North Fork of the Gunnison River is a major perennial stream that drains the northern mine area. The North Fork Upper monitoring station is located up-gradient of the mine facilities area and up-gradient of the mine discharge points. The underground mine water discharge flows into Sylvester Gulch then into the North Fork. The mine surface water runoff is treated and routed to holding ponds and is then discharged to the North Fork, if necessary. All of the mine water discharge occurs between the North Fork Upper and North Fork Lower monitoring stations. 3.1.1.4 Sylvester Gulch Sylvester Gulch is an intermittent stream that drains the north central mine area. All the active surface facilities of the mine are located within the Sylvester Gulch drainage basin area including: [he main road to the mine facilities from Highway 133, mine waste dump, mine shop and offices, mine portal, mine ventilation shafts, and the mine water discharge facility. The three monitoring sites in Sylvester Gulch, upper, middle and lower Sylvester Gulch, are designed to monitor areas up-gradient of the mine surface facilities area, areas down-gradient of the mine water discharge point and mine facilities, and areas down-gradient of the mine spoils dump, respectively. August 2005 HydroGeo, Inc.