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Ground Water Quality Summary. Increasing TDS trends are beginning to be <br /> observed at most wells downgradient of mining . However, three <br /> downgradient wells, WSAL14, WW17 and WOV17, exhibit stable or decreasing <br /> TDS trends. Three other wells, WHAL6-2, WW14 and WW16, exhibit TDS <br /> trends that are increasing only slightly, or have peak values that <br /> occurred in pzevious years. <br /> <br />I <br />Agricultural ground water standards were exceeded this year at certain <br />monitoring wells. Tab 7 of the Seneca II-W PAP contains a section that <br />discusses the suitability of using water from the various aquifers <br />monitored at the Seneca II-W Mine for irrigation or livestock watering. <br />The discussion mentions that all aquifers prior to mining at the Seneca <br />II-W Mine have exhibited several parameter concentrations in excess of <br />both irrigation and livestock standards compared, rendering them <br />questionable regarding their suitability for either irrigation or <br />livestock. All bedrock aquifers affected by mining have been determined <br />to have transmissivities less than 100 ft2/day, which would also <br />preclude their use for yielding sufficient water for irrigation, or even <br />livestock. <br />Surface Water <br />A summary of surface water monitoring sites and sampling history is <br />presented in Table 7. At Seneca II-W, all stream sites (unless otherwise <br />noted) are monitored monthly (excluding November to February) for flow <br />and field parameters (flow, temperature, pH, and electrical <br />conductivity). NPDES Discharge Points 015, 016 and 017 are monitored <br />weekly (when accessible by truck) for flow and pH. All five NPDES .sites <br />are monitored monthly for NPDES parameters and field parameters- Samples <br />obtained at all NFDES and stream sites are analyzed for the surface <br />water parameter list, Table 8, during April, June, and September. <br />Springs are monitored semiannually (once in April-June, then again in <br />September-November) for flow, field parameters, and, if flow exceeds <br />five gpm (0.011 cfs), the surface water parameter list. Monitoring <br />frequencies for surface water sites may be found in Appendix 15-3a of <br />the Seneca II-W PAP. <br />13 <br />