3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

3.6.3 Groundwater Use 

The majority of the groundwater-use permits filed in the vicinity of the Permit 

Area is for monitoring or miscellaneous mining-related purposes. Many of those 

permits are associated with the Kennecott Sweetwater Mine (formerly owned by 

Minerals Exploration Co.), which has been reclaimed (Section 3.1.1.4). 

Groundwater permits with legal descriptions inside and within three miles of the 

Permit Area were queried using the WSEO Water Rights Database (WSEO, 

2010). Table 3.6-6 list permits within one-half mile and three miles of the Permit 

Area, respectively, and the locations are shown on Figure 3.6-15. The lists 

include potentially active permits as well as abandoned and cancelled permits, 

which were issued by WSEO to parties other than LCI or its affiliates. The permit 

information includes, but is not limited to, location, uses, priority dates, status,

yield, total depth, and static water depth. 

3.6.3.1 BLM Wells 

The groundwater permits within one mile unrelated to mining are those of the 

BLM. In 1968 and 1980, the BLM Rawlins District was granted three permits by 

the WSEO. Each of these permits is associated with a well that supplies a stock 

pond or tank (Figure 3.6-15). These wells and associated stock ponds are located 

outside of the Permit Area. The permit numbers and names of these BLM wells 

are: 

x WSEO Permit 13834, Battle Spring Draw Well No. 4451; 

x WSEO Permit 55112, Boundary Well No. 4775; and 

x WSEO Permit 55113, Battle Spring Well No. 4777. 

In addition, there is a fourth BLM well (East Eagle Nest Draw Well), also 

supplying a stock pond, for which no water-use permit was found. 

Battle Spring Draw Well No. 4451 pumps water into a stock tank east of the 

Permit Area. The well depth is 900 feet deep, with a static water level of 104 feet. 

A yield of 19 gpm is permitted. The screened interval is unknown, but given the 

well depth, it may be significantly deeper than the sands targeted by LCI. Figure 

3.6-10 shows photographs of this well and associated stock tank. Although Well 

No. 4451 is outside of the Permit Area, two groundwater samples, one pond water 

sample, one algae sample, and one soil sample were collected and analyzed 

(Table 3.6-7). The results indicate that the water, algae, and soil all have high 

levels of radionuclides. In addition, the algae sample had a high selenium 

concentration. 

FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 3.6-37

July 2012 
Table 3.6-6 Groundwater-Use Permits within a 3-Mile Radius, WSEO Records, December 2

3.6-38 FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 

July 2012 
July 2012 

FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 3.6-39

Table 3.6-6 Groundwater-Use Permits within a 3-Mile Radius, WSEO Records, December 200
3.6-40 FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM 

Table 3.6-6 Groundwater-Use Permits within a 3-Mile Radius, WSEO Records, December 200

IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 

July 2012 
Table 3.6-6 Groundwater-Use Permits within a 3-Mile Radius, WSEO Records, December 20

July 2012

FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 3.6-41
Table 3.6-6 Groundwater-Use Permits within a 3-Mile Radius, WSEO Records, December 2

3.6-42 FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 

July 2012 
Table 3.6-6 Groundwater-Use Permits within a 3-Mile Radius, WSEO Records, December 20

July 2012 

FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 3.6-43
3.6-44 FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM 

IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 

July 2012 
3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

Table 3.6-7 BLM Battle Springs Draw Well No. 4451 Laboratory

Results (Page 1 of 2)

Parameter 

(mg/L unless otherwise noted) Well Water 

Pond 

Water 

Algae 

(mg/kg) 

Soil 

(mg/kg) 

8/27/2009 6/29/2010 7/13/2010 7/13/2010 7/13/2010 

Major Cations and Anions 

Na (mg/L) 30 31 36 - -

K (mg/L) 3 3 8 - -

Ca (mgL) 167 170 166 - -

Mg (mg/L) 8 8 10 - -

Cl (mg/L) 7 7 9 - -

HCO3 (mg/L) 206 200 200 - -

CO3 (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

SO4 (mg/L) 340 353 379 - -

SiO2 (mg/L) 16.9 16.5 18.7 - -

NO3+NO2 (mg/L) 0.01 ND ND - -

General

Water

Quality 

TDS (mg/L) 698 694 786 - -

Specific Conductivity 929 948 983 - -

Lab pH (SU) 7.94 8 7.61 - -

Alkalinity (mg/L) 169 164 164 - -

Trace Parameters (Dissolved unless otherwise noted.) 

Al (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

NH3-N (mg/L) 0.1 ND 0.13 - -

As (mg/L) ND ND 0.003 - -

Ba (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

B (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

Cd (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

Cr (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

Cu (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

F (mg/L) 0.1 ND 0.1 - -

Fe (mg/L) 

Dissolved ND ND ND - -

Total 0.11 0.11 1.45 - -

Hg (mg/L) ND N ND - -

Mn (mg/L) 

Dissolved 0.02 0.01 0.27 - -

Total 0.02 0.01 0.36 - -

Mo (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

Ni (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

Pb (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

Se (mg/L) 0.015 0.025 0.008 2.3 ND

V (mg/L) ND ND ND - -

Zn (mg/L) 0.02 0.03 ND - -

FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 3.6-45

July 2012 
3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

Table 3.6-7 BLM Battle Springs Draw Well No. 4451 Laboratory Results 

(Page 2 of 2) 

Parameter 

(mg/L unless otherwise noted) Well Water 

Pond 

Water 

Algae 

(mg/kg) 

Soil 

(mg/kg) 

8/27/2009 6/29/2010 7/13/2010 7/13/2010 7/13/2010 

Radionuclides 

Gross Alpha (pCi/L) 1230 1190 932 - -

Gross Beta (pCi/L) 313 249 239 - -

Ra-226 (pCi/L) 11 7.9 1.9 - -

Ra-228 (pCi/L) 8.0 5.4 1.6 - -

Ra-226 + Ra-228 (pCi/L) 19.0 13.3 3.5 - -

Uranium (mg/L) 0.91 1.10 1.02 112 11.8

ND – Concentration was below the laboratory detection limit. 

(-) Not analyzed 

Boundary Well No. 4775 and Battle Spring Well No. 4777 were drilled as stock 

wells to a depth of approximately 280 feet and 220 feet, respectively. These wells 

are shallower than the sands targeted by LCI. A water use of 25 gpm is permitted 

at each of these wells. Boundary Well No. 4775 apparently is not being used 

every year, but water has been pumped in the last few years. The electrical cord 

for the pump and the pipe to deliver water to the troughs are shown in the photos

(Figure 3.6-16).

Figure 3.6-16 BLM Boundary Well No. 4775 

3.6-46 FINAL EIS – LOST CREEK URANIUM IN-SITU RECOVERY PROJECT – VOLUME I 

July 2012 
3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

The windmill on Battle Spring Well No. 4777 was not in working order in June 

2007, but it was removed and replaced with an electrical submersible pump 

(Figure 3.6-17). 

Figure 3.6-17 BLM Battle Spring Well No. 4777 

June 2007 October 2011 

The East Eagle Nest Draw Well is located north of the Permit Area, in the NW1⁄4, 

NW1⁄4, NW1⁄4 of Section 13, Township 25 North and Range 93 West. From midMay through mid-September, an electric submersible pump in the well is used to 

pump water into a livestock watering pond at an average rate of five gpm for six 

to eight hours each day. The total depth of this well is 370 feet, with a static 

water level of 269 feet. Figure 3.6-18 shows the East Eagle Nest Draw Well in 

June 2007 and in October 2011. 

Figure 3.6-18 BLM East Eagle Nest Draw Well 

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July 2012