2012-07-02_REPORT - C1980007 (3)

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West Elk Mine 2011 Annual Hydrology Report 18 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. Horse Gulch flows into Minnesota Reservoir. East Gulch, East of Horse Gulch flows from the north into the Dry Fork, upstream of the Minnesota Reservoir Flume monitoring station and downstream of the Middle Dry Fork monitoring station. Both streams drain the area that overlies the B -seam Southeast longwall 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 and east 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 (USGS 09134000), is a USGS surface water gaging station. This site was monitored from 1937 to 1947 and then from 1985 to the present. These two stations monitor the hydrologic effects of mining the southeast B- and E -seam longwall 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, and for storage in Minnesota Reservoir. The average annual diversions for Deep Creek Ditch are about 1,000 ac -ft. A flume and continuous recording data logger were installed in this ditch in the fall of 2006 (Map 2). Baseline monthly June 2012 HydroGeo, Inc.