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Final Compensatory Mitigation and Monitoring Plan—Version 2.0 <br />Climax Mine Overburden Storage Facility Expansion (SPK-2013-00045) <br />March 2017 Bikis Water Consultants, a division of SGM Page 8 <br />A total of 16.48 jurisdictional acres will be impacted by the OSF expansion in McNulty Gulch, all <br />of which are typical of high altitude wetlands in Colorado at a similar elevation and aspect. No <br />fen wetlands will be impacted. Figure 2 shows the wetlands and existing conditions in McNulty <br />Gulch. Photographs of McNulty Gulch are included in Appendix A. Additional details on the <br />wetlands and aquatic resources in McNulty Gulch can be found in the July 2013 delineation <br />report by BWC-SGM. <br />Wetlands occur in two landscape positions: at springs and seeps, especially on a bench with <br />flatter slopes in the upper part of the watershed; and along intermittent and perennial channels. <br />The wetlands include shrub and herbaceous riparian wetlands along drainages and <br />downgradient from flowing springs (Figure 2). The other major wetland type is emergent/shrub <br />wetlands which have a seasonal water supply or permanent high water, but not permanent <br />standing water. This wetland type occurs at seeps and relatively flat areas. Fens are also in <br />this wetland type and they occur above the project area where permanent high groundwater has <br />fostered the formation of peat in the soil. All the wetlands in McNulty Gulch are typical of high <br />altitude wetlands in Colorado at similar elevation and aspect. <br />The following description of wetland types in McNulty Gulch is based the classification in Windell <br />et al 1986, which is a modified version of the Cowardin system (Cowardin et al 1979) for the <br />Rocky Mountain Region. The classifications from the Cowardin system are also provided. Note <br />that no fen wetlands will be impacted by the project. <br />Emergent/shrub wetlands (PEME according to Cowardin et al 1979). These wetlands <br />occur in relatively flat areas and side slopes often associated with springs, and are <br />dominated by persistent, herbaceous species. They have a seasonal water supply or <br />permanent high water, but not permanent standing water. <br />Scrub-shrub wetlands (PSSB and PSSE). These wetlands include wetlands in relatively <br />flat areas, on side slopes or along drainage bottoms (riparian wetlands), and are <br />dominated by broad-leaved deciduous species, mainly willows (Salix spp.). They have a <br />seasonal water supply or permanent high water, but not permanent standing water. This <br />wetland type also includes fens (PSSBg) which are associated with perennial springs <br />and have a permanent high water table.