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ALLUVIAL VALLEY FLOOR DETERMINATION <br />MCCLANE CANYON MINE <br />COAL MINE WASTE PILE <br />GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO <br />DECEMBER 17, 2009 <br />Introduction <br />The McClave Canyon Mine, operated by McClave Mining, LLC (McClane Mining), <br />is an underground coal mine located approximately 18.5 miles north of Loma, Colorado <br />along Highway 139 within the East Salt Creek drainage. Due to planned operational <br />changes at the mine, McClane Mining proposes to construct an approximate 15 -acre coal <br />mine waste storage facility in the area south of McClane Canyon between East Salt Creek <br />and the mountain front along the east side of the creek (Figure 1). Alluvial Valley Floors <br />(AVFs) have been mapped along East Salt Creek as part of other investigations and mine <br />permit applications (McClane Canyon permit no. C-1980-004 and Rare Earth <br />Science/ERO Resources Corporation (ERO) 2007). However, none of the previous <br />studies investigated the specific area of the proposed waste pile in detail. <br />The purpose of this investigation and report is to evaluate the area of the proposed <br />waste pile to determine if any of the area meets the definition of an AVF, as required in <br />Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (DRMS) regulation 2.06.8. The regulations <br />list several criteria that must be met to establish that an area is or is not considered an <br />AVF, as summarized below. <br />DRMS 2.06.8 (c)(i)(A and B) states "The Division shall determine that an AVF exists <br />if it finds that: <br />A. Unconsolidated streamlaid deposits holding streams of sufficient size and <br />inherent productivity potential .... If not currently farmed, the minimum size <br />of the alluvial body shall be based upon the accepted regional practice. <br />B. There is sufficient water to support agricultural activities ...." <br />Part (ii) of the same section states "The Division shall determine that an AVF does <br />not exist if it finds that: <br />ERO <br />Resources <br />Corporation <br />