2009-07-01_REPORT - C1980007 (6)

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West Elk Mine 2008 Annual Hydrology Report 15 from May through October 2005. Routine monitoring (three times per year) of Deer Creek began in WY 2006. 3.1.3.5 Horse Gulch and East Gulch East of Horse Gulch Horse Gulch and East Gulch, East of Horse Gulch are ephemeral stream drainages that are tributary to the Dry Fork and flow only in response to storm events and spring runoff. These streams flow into Minnesota Reservoir and drain the SE mine panel area and the area located within the SOD mine plan area. These monitoring stations were established in 1977, do not have flumes or data loggers, and are located north of Minnesota Reservoir (Map 2). 3.1.3.6 Minnesota Creek (Upper, Lower) Minnesota Creek is the major stream that drains the southwestern portion of the permit area. There are two stream monitoring stations in Minnesota Creek: Upper Minnesota Creek, located upstream of Dry Fork; and Lower Minnesota Creek, located downstream of Dry Fork. The Upper Minnesota Creek monitoring station was established by the USFS in 1977 to collect baseline data for the SOD mine plan area and to support the Minnesota Creek Augmentation Plan. The Upper Minnesota Creek Flume site has a 48-inch Parshall flume and a data logger. The Lower Minnesota Creek monitoring station, Minnesota Creek near Paonia, CO (09134000), is a USGS surface water gaging station. These two stations monitor the hydrologic effects of mining the southeast B- and E-seam mine panel areas (Map 2) and the SOD mining area. 3.1.4 Stream Monitoring Sites Established in WY 2005 & WY 2006 3.1.4.1 Deep Creek Ditch Flume Deep Creek Ditch is a trans-basin diversion ditch that routes water from the Little Gunnison Creek to Upper Dry Fork in order to provide irrigation water for users in the Minnesota Creek Basin. The average annual diversions for the Deep Creek Ditch are about 1,000 ac-ft. A flume and continuous recording device were installed in this ditch in the fall of 2006 (Map 2). Baseline monthly monitoring of the Deep Creek Ditch Flume began in the summer of 2006 and included measuring flow, collecting field water quality data, and collecting samples for laboratory water quality analyses from the installation date through October 2006. Routine monitoring (three times per year) at this site began in WY 2007. Data from this station will provide information on trans-basin flows versus natural Dry Fork and Deep Creek flows. 3.1.4.2 Minnesota Reservoir Flume MCC installed a new 30-inch Parshall flume and a data logger on the lower Dry Fork above the high water line of Minnesota Reservoir in October 2006 (beginning of WY 2007) (Map 2). The Minnesota Reservoir Flume monitoring station provides more accurate and more representative June 2009 HydroGeo, Inc.