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DRAFT <br />INTRODUCTION <br />Water Management Consultants, Inc. (WMC) has prepared this Sampling and Analysis <br />Plan (SAP) for activities that are being conducted to characterize the project -wide <br />groundwater, surface water, and geochemical baseline conditions for the proposed Collom <br />Pit expansion. The SAP describes the procedures for piezometer construction, well <br />construction, well development, hydraulic testing and surface water flow measurement. <br />It also describes procedures for the collection, handling, and analysis of samples of <br />groundwater and surface water. It provides a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) that <br />outlines the quality assurance /quality control (QA/QC) procedures to be followed as well as <br />protocols for validating, managing, compiling, and evaluating data. <br />1.1 General setting <br />C 1.1.1 Land use <br />Land in the Collom area which may be affected by the proposed operation are <br />administered by CCM, KEC, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the State of <br />Colorado. The dominant land use is rangeland for grazing of cattle and sheep. Various <br />wildlife species are present including deer, elk, sage grouse, non -game birds, raptors, <br />etc. In addition to rangeland, the general area has been used for underground and <br />surface coal mining. Areas to be affected by the proposed operation do not contain any <br />previous mining activity. <br />1.1.2 Climate <br />The climate in the vicinity of the Colowyo Mine and proposed Collom pit is characterized <br />as semiarid. Climate stations in Meeker and Craig indicate that precipitation averages <br />14 to 17 inches per year. Monthly average temperatures normally range from 22 °F in <br />January and 67 °F in July. <br />Winds are typically 8 -9 mph from the southwest. Occasionally they reach speeds of 20 <br />to 25 mph. <br />1.1.3 Geology <br />The proposed Collom pit is located to the north of the Danforth Hills on the margin of the <br />Axial Basin Anticline. The principal geologic units in the area include the upper <br />Cretaceous Iles and Williams Fork Formations. Both are part of the Mesa Verde Group. <br />9 <br />2572 -R1 <br />Colowyo Coal Company, L.P. <br />Water Management Consultants <br />