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APPENDIX T <br />McCLANE CANYON MINING, LLC <br />McCLANE CANYON MINE <br />Proposed Expansion Area <br />Soils Resource Assessment (Baseline Soil Survey) <br />1.0 INTRODUCTION <br />McClane Canyon Mining, LLC plans to expand their current underground coal mine located <br />in western Garfield County along State Highway 139 at mile marker —19.5. The Soil Study <br />Area is approximately 50 acres in size and coincides with the soil study area boundary line <br />as depicted on a topographic base map (Figure 1), dated April 15, 2010. The expansion <br />will involve the installation of at least two coal stockpiles, a coal cleaning plant, and a coal <br />mine waste disposal area.The coal stockpiles and cleaning plant will be located in the north <br />portion of the study area and the coal mine waste disposal area will occupy the southern <br />end (Figure 1). The mine expansion is sometimes referred to as Plan B. The study area in <br />Garfield Countyincludes portions of the SW1/4 and NW1/4 of Sections 21, and the extreme <br />northwest corner of Section 28,Township 7South, Range 102 West,Howard <br />CanyonQuadrangle. The permit application package includes the complete legal <br />descriptions of project area lands. <br />The project area is located on gently slopingalluvial fans derived from the steep <br />sedimentary cliffs adjacent to the east, and on terraces of the Salt Creek drainage located <br />adjacent to the west. The soils are generally deep and have somewhat stratified sandy <br />loam, loam, and sandy clay loam textures with greasewood, sagebrush, and mixed <br />grasses vegetation depending on location. The south -flowing Salt Creek drainage is <br />immediately to the west and only a small tributary of the creek is included in the project <br />area.The southern part of the area includes an east -west trending, flat-topped, oval shaped <br />landform that lies across the valley and may be either an old earthen dam structure or a <br />landslide debris pile. <br />The purpose of this study is to document the baseline soils on the project study area. The <br />lower part of the deep soil profiles, from 2 to 8 feet in depth, is the soil substratum ("C <br />horizon) and a composite sample of this deeper material from each of two representative <br />sample sites was additionally analyzed for standard overburden laboratory parameters and <br />evaluated for overburden suitability. The identification and proper management ofthe soil <br />resources (topsoil, subsoil, and substratum) in the project study area is essential for the <br />success of reclamation in the affected areas and the achievement of the post -mining land <br />use. The information presented in this report is designed to aid in the formulation of a <br />practical and successful reclamation plan. <br />-1- <br />