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Mineral Joe Mine Environmental Protection Plan 39 <br />north, perpendicular to the escarpment, toward the Paradox Valley. Near the groundwater divide, very little <br />groundwater occurs because the recharge area is limited. Due to the precipitation, high evapotranspiration, <br />low infiltration rates, and the limited infiltration area, there is insufficient groundwater percolating through <br />the vadose zone and accumulating above a low - permeability unit to create saturated aquifer conditions. <br />The location of a groundwater divide does not always correspond to the location of a surface water divide, <br />if groundwater flow is controlled by geologic structure. In the vicinity of the Mineral Joe Mine, the surface <br />water divide occurs at the crest of Monogram Mesa. However, the groundwater divide is located farther <br />down the escarpment, due to the dip of the bedding and location of the confining units. For example, any <br />infiltrating water captured by geologic units above a confining layer will flow southeast along the dip of the <br />bedding plane. If the confining unit occurs halfway up the escarpment, the groundwater divide for that <br />local hydrostratigraphic unit would occur halfway up the escarpment. Golder (2009) inferred that the <br />groundwater divide for the Chinle/Moenkopi aquifer might be located along the crest of the escarpment. <br />However, water level data from the exploration holes on the JD leases indicates that the groundwater divide <br />for the Morrison aquifer is farther north, and lower on the escarpment, than postulated by Golder. <br />Because the Mineral Joe Mine is located close to the groundwater divide, there is no upgradient source of <br />groundwater inflow and little or no accumulation of infiltration. <br />9.4 Inventory of Wells and Water Use <br />9.4.1 Well Inventory <br />Wells drilled in Colorado are registered with the Colorado Division of Water Resources (DWR), and are a <br />matter of public record. DWR records list 24 unique wells within two miles of the Mineral Joe Mine <br />permit boundary, most of which are monitoring wells associated with the proposed Pinion Ridge Mill west <br />of the Mineral Joe Mine site. Three of these 24 wells are listed as abandoned (Table 6). Of the remaining <br />21 wells, 18 are located more than one mile from the Mineral Joe Mine permit boundary. The nearest well <br />is located 0.58 miles (3,068 ft) from the Mineral Joe Mine permit boundary. All of the listed wells have <br />perforated casing and have a well depth of 106 feet or more. The reported depth to water of each well <br />ranges from 21 to 410 ft. The reported yield of the wells ranges from 5.6 to 889 gpm. <br />9.4.2 Project Water Requirements <br />Project water requirements are estimated at 60,000 gallons per year during the development phase and <br />mining phase of the project. The source of water for the mining activities will be the Naturita Municipal <br />System. No adjudicated water rights will be injured by the project. <br />The water provided from offsite would be used for equipment washing, toilets, and shop purposes. <br />Drinking water for site workers is provided from offsite bottled water sources. <br />4148B.120927 Whetstone Associates • <br />