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Gold Hill Mill DMO September 2022 B-5 many as five and six hundred Ponderosa and Lodgepole pine trees per acre on most of the southern hillsides of Left Hand Creek. Limber pine and Blue spruce are also present in isolated trees or in small stands. Scattered stands Rocky Mountain juniper and Quaking Aspen can be found in the areas between Left Hand Creek and the Times/Wynona Mine. Quaking Aspen, Narrowleaf cottonwood, Mountain Alder, and Rocky Mountain maple are found along the banks of Left Hand Creek and Akins (Lick Skillet) Gulch. In addition to the trees found in this area of the Gold Hill Mining District, various species of grasses are present, including Slender Wheat-grass, Mountain Mulhy, Parry Oat-grass, and Thurber fescue. The present surface vegetation at or near the Gold Hill Mill pipeline route is relatively undisturbed, aside from several relatively small areas where trees have been cut for forestry management near the access road to the Alamakee Mine, and light disturbance from historic pipeline installation. Soils The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service has mapped this area predominantly as Junget-Rock Outcrop Complex (JrF) and Fern Cliff-Allens Park-Rock Outcrop Complex (FcF). A detailed description of the Juget-Rock Complex and the Peyton and Allens Park soils is contained within the NRCS Soil Survey for the area, attached as Appendix B-1. Soil depth in JrF areas is 6-11 inches while soil depth in FcF areas is 26-80 inches. FcF depth is dependent primarily on whether it is the Fern Cliff of Allens Park soil component that is predominate in an area. Given the presence of frequent rock outcrop within the area, the primary controller of soil depth will be topography: drainages channel bottoms can be expected to contain deeper soils than upland flats. The area around the mill building has historically seen soil depths in the 12-36” range, however, most of this was disturbed many years ago. 3. Description of Water Resources Surface Water Resources The surface water drainage on the affected lands is generally ephemeral, consisting almost entirely of runoff originating as rainfall and/or melting snow which flows into Akins (Lick Skillet) Gulch. Most of the year this flow is intermittent, and it only reaches Left Hand Creek during the spring runoff and periods of high precipitation. There is a difference in altitude of over 700 feet between the Times-Wynona Mine portal and Left Hand Creek. Any intermittent surface water flowing from the Times-Wynona Mine area must progress of over 4500 feet to reach Left Hand Creek. Left Hand Creek is the only significant perennial water feature in the Gold Hill area. Gold Run Gulch runs south of the Gold Hill Mill, but does not flow year around. Drainage patterns around the mill and tailings storage facility are simple, as both entities sit atop of the local ridge. Almost no undisturbed drainage area exists uphill of the mill or tailings storage