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Wetland Delineation Report for the Global Assets Mine Property, Weld County, Colorado <br /> Ditch 02 is an earthen ditch with a 1 to 2-foot wide OHWM. Ditch 02 runs parallel to Ditch 01, <br /> approximately 15 feet to its west. This ditch enters the Mining Area via a 2-foot diameter <br /> corrugated metal pipe passing beneath the farm road at the southern edge of the Mining Area. <br /> No exit culvert was identified at the north end, as the ditch became increasingly <br /> undifferentiated for the surrounding uplands and covered by dense grasses. This feature is <br /> not mapped by the NWI. Photographs are provided in Appendix A. <br /> A third ditch,running around the circumference of the field to the east of the Lupton Meadows <br /> Ditch had been recently excavated did not support an OHWM. Photographs provided in <br /> Appendix A depict this ditch and demonstrate the lack of an OHWM. <br /> 4.3 Wetlands <br /> One wetland was located within the Mining Area. The one to two feet of bank immediately <br /> above the OHWM of the Lupton Meadows Ditch supports wetland. The total wetland area is <br /> estimated at 0.13 acre (approximately 1.5 feet of wetland along both banks along the entire <br /> 1,830 feet). Immediately above the ditch's OHWM, either bank supports dense growth of reed <br /> canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea; FACW), giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida; FAC), curlytop <br /> knotweed,stinging nettle (Urtica dioica; FACW), prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata; FACW), <br /> rabbitsfoot grass (Polypogon monspeliensis; FACW), and narrowleaf cattail. These wetland <br /> species were located within one to three vertical feet above the OHWM and 1 to 2 feet lateral <br /> to the OHWM. Wetland data form 06 is provided in Appendix B as documentation of the <br /> vegetation composition and soil description. <br /> Two other locations were suspected of supporting wetlands; however, excavation of soil pits <br /> revealed that hydric soils had not developed. One location is within the naturalized nursery <br /> trees to the west of the Lupton Meadows Ditch. Approximately halfway across the Mining <br /> Area, Ditch 02 has a small (less than 12 inches) breach allowing water to drain into the field to <br /> the west. This breached ditch supported surface water as far as 300 feet away from the ditch, <br /> at an average width of 15 feet; however, soil pit excavations indicated that no development <br /> of hydric soils has occurred. This area is characterized by plains cottonwoods (Populus <br /> deltoides; FAC), with an understory of reed canarygrass and thickspike wheatgrass (Elymus <br /> lanceolatus spp. lanceolatus; UPL). The property manager indicated that this field is only <br /> intermittently flooded, which may account for the lack of hydric soil development. <br /> A second area was identified as potential wetland near the northwest corner of the Mining <br /> Area. Wetland data form 05 (Appendix B) describes the findings at this location. This site <br /> supports a dense stand of coyote willow(Salix exigua; FACW), but very well drained soils that <br /> exhibited no signs of hydric soil development. This feature is likely subirrigated by surface <br /> runoff from the adjacent parking lot, which is constructed with sand and gravel. <br /> 4.4 Permitting Strategy—Jurisdictional Status <br /> Ditch 01, the Lupton Meadows Ditch, may be considered to be jurisdictional under current <br /> USACE guidelines. Because this ditch supports a "relatively permanent flow' and drains into <br /> 12 2DOT <br />