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West Elk Mine <br />-• 1. In October 1949, water seeped into the P West entries from Sylvester Gulch, as the entries <br />were driven beneath the gulch. The water softened the entry floors and caused the roof to swell <br />and cave. Mining was halted because of mining problems (it became impossible to operate the <br />mobile loaders and shuttle cars) and to protect the miners. <br />2. About this time, the south main, consisting of four entries, was driven southward in an attempt <br />to turn another set of entries either east or west. Sudden, large outflows of water and methane <br />were encountered in the development entries. The volumes were large enough to force the <br />company to remove the mobile loaders and shuttle cars and replace them with shaker conveyors <br />in order to continue development. <br />Water and Methane Drainage After Oliver No. 2 Mine Closure <br />Seals, consisting of a double row of cinder blocks, were installed 75 to 150 feet north of the <br />northern entry of 1 s' West entries of the Oliver No. 2 Mine in December, 1953 (Boyd Emmons, oral <br />communication, November 6, 1996). They were installed to seal off the water and methane coming <br />from various areas of the mine. Apparently these seals did not completely seal off either water or <br />methane under pressure because water was observed draining from the Oliver No. 2 Mine in the <br />early 1970's and the methane was detected with a methanometer above the portal area (Dunrud <br />1976, p.33). Although no water was observed in -the Oliver No. 2 portal area during a field <br />inspection in October 1996, water may be flowing beneath the road grade of State Highway 133. <br />According to Bob Barrett, Grand Junction District Geologist for the Colorado Department of <br />Transportation (CDOT), a drainage system (cobble and geotechnical fabric) was installed within the <br />• drainage area of the unnamed drainage west of Box Canyon to channel the numerous springs that <br />were encountered during highway construction in 1980 (oral communication, Bob Barrett to John <br />Rold, November 14, 1996). The springs encountered during construction of Highway 133 are <br />thought to reflect flows emanating from the Oliver No. 2 Mine. <br />In addition to observations of flows from the Oliver No. 2 Mine portal in the 1970s, additional <br />observations were made regarding surface flows in the Sylvester Gulch drainage. One particular <br />observation, (Bill Bear oral connmurucation, 1972) was that there was a substantial decrease in <br />surface flow (and dewatering of a beaver pond) from the first east fork of Sylvester Gulch above its <br />confluence with the North Fork. There has been speculation that this apparent decrease in flow was <br />the result of Oliver No. 2 mining activities, however, the reported decrease in the flow during the <br />1970s is puzzling for two reasons: <br />1. The healing and sealing potential for stream channels discussed in Section 2.05.6 conflicts with <br />short-term stream diversion not to mention stream diversion after 20 years; and <br />2. No water was observed upstream from the area where the beaver ponds were located, beyond <br />where the Oliver No. 2 mining could have had an impact. Consequently, there was not a <br />perennial flow for the beaver habitat in the canyon «hen Mr. Dunrud observed the beaver ponds <br />in the mid-1970s. It is not known what happened to the source of water to the beaver ponds the <br />beaver had already moved out. <br />MCC now owns the water right to the first east fork of Sylvester Gulch the water right previously <br />owned by the Bear family. Therefore, the puzzling decrease in flow (perhaps the flow was <br />2.05-142 Revised June 2005PRIO, Rev. Alarch 2006; .A4ay2006 PR10, Nov. 2006TR107,Apri12007TR108;Sep. 2007 PR12; Feb. 2005 PR-12