Laserfiche WebLink
• Surface Water Information <br />The mine, loadout, and adjacent areas are contained within portions of a <br />general drainage basin which corresponds to the groundwater basin <br />previously discussed. The mine and adjacent areas encompass the lower <br />portions of the Magpie and Newlin Creek drainages and the central portion <br />of the Second Alkali Creek drainage while the loadout and adjacent areas <br />encompass the lower portions of the Oak and Chandler Creek drainages. <br />Essentially all drainage in this area flows to the northeast intercepting <br />the Arkansas River which is the major perennial drainage in this region. <br />As previously discussed in Section 2.04.3, Site Description and Land Use <br />Information, the mine area is located in a transition zone between the Wet <br />Mountains to the west and the eastern plains. Given the transitional <br />nature of this area, most of the major drainages originate in relatively <br />steep forested areas in the Wet Mountains or adjacent foothills. As these <br />• drainages flow out of the mountainous areas, stream gradients decline <br />fairly rapidly. Stream channels widen and suspended solids levels <br />increase as a result of decreased ground cover on lowland areas and <br />ongoing natural degradation of downgradient channel sections. <br />Several of the larger streams originating in mountainous areas have <br />sufficiently large drainage areas to support perennial stream flows. <br />However, most of the lowland and tributary drainages are ephemeral in <br />nature, flowing only in response to spring snowmelt and major summer <br />thunderstorms. <br />Precipitation, infiltration and runoff characteristics of the mine, <br />loadout, and adjacent areas are typical of a high altitude, semi-arid <br />environment. While no site specific climatological information is <br />available, extensive precipitation and temperature records are available <br />for the nearby towns of Florence and Canon City. Given the proximity of <br />the reporting stations and the climatic similarities within this limited <br />area, the available information is considered representative of conditions <br />at both the Southfield sites. Based upon this available data, annual <br />precipitation for this area is approximately 12.9 inches with most of the <br />precipitation occurring during the spring and summer months. Average <br />2.04.7-20 <br />