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• then failed to produce any water after it was allowed to recharge for three hours. This procedure was <br />repeated a second time with the same results. These results indicate that the upper portion of the Salt <br />Wash is very tight and contains little water. This is even more apparent considering that BM00-1 was <br />located only 500 feet from the flooded lower portion of the Whirlwind mine. <br />Most of the water that is in the very upper portion of the Salt Wash appears to have been introduced <br />into this sandstone unit by historic mining activities such as the Whirlwind decline discussed above. <br />Historic drill holes and vent shafts are also probable conduits for ground water inflow. The ground <br />water entering the formation appears to pond in lower areas of the mine and then gradually infiltrate <br />into the sandstone and move both downward and laterally. Downward movement is, however, limited <br />by a 1 to 10-foot thick mudstone aquitard that is located below the mine workings. Lateral movement <br />is believed to be predominantly along the northeast trending dip toward Lumsden Fault. Additional <br />details regarding the local hydrogeology are presented in a 2001 memorandum by Frederick Peel of <br />U.S. Environmental Services Inc. (USES, 2001) that is included in its entirety as Part 2 of Appendix C. <br />Water quality issues associated with this introduced water are discussed in detail in Section 7 below. <br /> <br />There is also some ground water present lower in the Salt Wash as evidenced by PR Spring, which <br />flows from the lower portion of the Top Rim sandstone unit. The spring water is asodium-bicarbonate <br />water of poor quality (i.e., elevated levels of radium, uranium, arsenic and selenium) as is discussed in <br />Section 8.4, Surface Water. The Top Rim sandstone unit sits on a thick mudstone unit that effectively <br />isolates it from the Middle Rim sandstone unit below. <br />7. Mine Water <br />The majority of the ground water found in the Top Rim mines on Beaver Mesa appears to be seeping <br />into the underground workings from above through open drill holes, shafts, declines, and natural <br />fractures. This conclusion is based on the packer tests performed by Umetco in 2000, inspections of the <br />Whirlwind and Packrat Mines by Energy Fuels personnel, and anecdotal remarks from miners that <br />previously worked in the area. <br />C, <br />Whirlwind Mine 07 (rev. April 08) G-14 <br />