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• Effect of Mining on Chandler Creek and Unnamed Drainage Basins <br />Potential mine inflows have been calculated to range from less than one acre-foot per year to 450 acre-feet per <br />year, based upon assumed disturbed area of the mine workings and the hydraulic properties of the coal seam, as <br />shown in Table 4. The estimate of future inflow to the mine was calculated using traditional ground water flow <br />equations. Inputs to the equation include the ground water gradient in the area, estimated permeability, and the <br />expected maximum disturbed area of the mine: The impact of the mine on the regional ground water system is <br />expected to be limited to a very short distance from the mine because of the discontinuous nature of the <br />geologic units, low permeability of the coal seams, and limited ground water quantities. The mining operation <br />will likely divert water from storage in the ground water system and intercept very little water that, under <br />undisturbed conditions, would have been discharged to the surface system. Baseline data are being developed <br />to assist with the determination of the historic base flow to Chandler Creek and Fawn Hollow from the zones to <br />be mined. <br />Water Rights <br />• Chandler Creek and its tributaries do not have surface water rights within the permit area or below the permit <br />area. Therefore, according to the Water Commissioner, there is no water right administration and no calls from <br />the malnstem. Only those water rights diverting from the Arkansas River and/or its alluvium below Chandler <br />Creek and the other unnamed drainages are potentially impacted. A general location map showing the water <br />rights near the permit area and the Arkansas River is included as Figure 5. The water rights tabulated from the <br />State's database for these water rights are summarized in Appendix A. <br />The drainage basins within the mine permit area comprise a small area compared to the total area of the <br />Arkansas drainage basin, so these drainages would contribute only a small portion of the total runoff of the <br />river. Since Chandler Creek and the other drainages contribute such a small amount of runoff to the river, very <br />little, if any, water diverted by the calling rights on the Arkansas originates from these sources. Arkansas River <br />calls are not administered in the mine permit area. The drainages in the permit area are considered ephemeral, <br />and typically go dry in several places, so a call from the Arkansas River would not produce water to the calling <br />right. <br />• -20- <br />