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RULE 2 PERMITS <br />Permit Area <br />LRCWE (1979) reported measurements for temperature and specific conductance of streams, springs or <br />seeps, and wells in the vicinity of the mine. Many of the sites visited during the investigation were those <br />inventoried by others during previous investigations in 1974 and 1975. <br />The well and spring measurements averaged about 1100 mmhos, ranging from 550 mmhos from a well on <br />Wilson Creek to 1880 at a seep from a coal seam exposed at the pit. The groundwater quality was again <br />found to be highly variable in terms of specific conductance. The measurements made in 1979 were <br />within the range of variation seen in measurements taken in 1974 and 1975 at the same sites. This report <br />has been previously submitted on February 5, 1981 and is included in Exhibit 7. <br />The conclusion presented in the 1979 LRCWE report was that there is no evidence of contamination of <br />the groundwater by the surface mining of Colowyo. Analysis of specific conductance measurements <br />below sites where contamination would be expected, such as Goodspring Creek below Streeter Canyon <br />and Taylor Creek below the coal loadout area, do not reveal decreased water quality. Monitoring of <br />Goodspring Creek and Taylor Creek since 1979 supports the conclusions of the 1979 LRCWE report. <br />Tables 2.04.7-4 and 2.04.7-5 present the analyses of water samples collected from Taylor Creek Well <br />Nos. 1 and 3, respectively. The locations of the two Taylor Creek wells and their characteristics are <br />discussed more fully in the earlier groundwater description. Water samples from the two wells were <br />analyzed for the common ions and trace metals because water from the two wells is used for domestic <br />purposes on the mine site. Comparison of the observed concentrations and the health limits shows that <br />trace metals from the water in deep sandstones are not a problem. <br />Groundwater quality in and adjacent to the permit area is generally poor. Water from the wells contains <br />relatively high amounts of dissolved salts and calcium-carbonate hardness. Previous analyses of <br />groundwater samples in the area indicate that the groundwater is alkaline, saline, and sufficiently hard to <br />restrict usage to stock watering. <br />As an additional reference, Skogerboe (1979) and others published a report, "Environmental Effects of <br />Western Coal Surface Mining, Part III: The Water Quality of Trout Creek, Colorado," through the U. S. <br />Environmental Protection Agency. This report has been copied and is attached to this application in <br />Exhibit 7A. These investigations researched the water quality impacts of surface mining on surface and <br />groundwater at the Pittsburgh and Midway Coal Mine on Trout Creek. Through a carefully documented <br />and conducted program of sampling, the report concluded that: <br />• The impact of mine spoil drainage on the surface water is reflected by larger quantities of <br />dissolved solids and common ions. <br />• The mine has no detectable impact on surface water in terms of increasing concentrations <br />of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, or Zn. <br />• Increases in stream concentrations of Mn and Se due to mine inflow can be inferred. <br />• Higher concentrations of As, Fe, Mn, Se, and Zn are found in water draining mine spoils. <br />• The concentration of these elements varies with spoil age. Mn and Zn are higher in older <br />spoils and As, Fe, and Se are higher in newer spoils. <br />Rule 2 Permits 2.04.7-6 Revision Date: 6/23/08 <br />Revision No.: MR-91