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West Elk Mine 2008 Annual Hydrology Report 52 <br />• laboratory surface water quality data are summarized in Appendix C. Graphs of the Sylvester <br />Gulch and North Fork of the Gunnison River temperature monitoring data are presented in <br />Appendix I. <br />5.1.1 Impacts to Area Stream Water Quality <br />As mentioned previously, surface water quality data are collected for permit-specified parameters <br />at surface water monitoring stations throughout the permit area in order to detect potential impacts <br />of mining activities to surface water resources (Appendix C). Potential impacts to water quality at <br />area streams are determined by comparison of recent water quality and flow to baseline values <br />while considering effects of climatological factors, such as drought or high precipitation in areas <br />near mining activity. A total of five samples, including two duplicates, were collected for analysis <br />(extended parameter suite) at the Upper North Fork of the Gunnison River monitoring station in <br />WY 2008. With the exception of dissolved copper and hardness, none of the tested parameters <br />exceeded the baseline values in WY 2008. These higher water quality measurements over baseline <br />values are not mining related, since the monitoring location is upstream of the mine operations. <br />Dissolved copper was slightly elevated in one sample (0.016 mg/1) compared to the baseline <br />maximum of 0.01 mg/l, the other four samples were within the baseline limits. Hardness for one <br />• sample was 210 mg/l compared to the baseline maximum of 107 mg/l, but the other four samples <br />were within the baseline limits. <br />A total of three samples were collected for analysis (extended suite of parameters) at the Lower <br />North Fork of the Gunnison River monitoring station in WY 2008. With the exception of hardness <br />and dissolved iron from one of the three samples, none of the tested parameters exceeded the <br />baseline values in WY 2008. Although the Lower North Fork could potentially be impacted by <br />mine operations, elevated hardness values were reported from the Upper North Fork site on the <br />same sampling round as well. The dissolved iron values for the other two samples collected at this <br />site in WY 2008 did not exceed baseline values. Hardness was 249 mg/1 compared to the baseline <br />maximum of 109 mg/1 and dissolved iron was 0.2 mg/l compared to the baseline maximum of <br />0.126 mg/l. <br />Based on the water quality and flow monitoring data through WY 2008 (Appendix C), mining <br />activities have affected the water quality of Sylvester Gulch. The water sampled at the Middle and <br />Lower Sylvester Gulch monitoring stations in WY 2008 consisted almost entirely of the permitted <br />mine water releases. Therefore, the analyses at these locations show considerable mining related <br />• increases in constituent levels and flows when compared with baseline data. In WY 2008, Upper <br />Sylvester Gulch had total iron levels of 0.78 mg/l compared to the baseline value of 0.07 mg/l, <br />June 2009 HydroGeo, Inc.