2024-07-08_PERMIT FILE - M2024037

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A ERC Strear Soil Mine Preliminary Environmental Assessment 1.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION Ecological Resource Consultants, LLC (ERC) has prepared this report at the request of Strear Soil Mine. The approximately 285-acre property, referred to herein as survey area, is located north of County Road 40 and east of County Road 29 in Weld County, Colorado.The purpose of this Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA) is to identify potential environmental concerns for planning level purposes and determine the need and level of additional environmental studies that may be warranted. This PEA identifies potential ecological and environmental concerns from an initial screening level standpoint and is not intended for formal agency review, clearances, verification, or potential permitting. This PEA report has been prepared in accordance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (META), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Colorado Statute Title 33, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), and Rule 6.4.8 of the Construction Materials Rules of the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board Exhibit H—Wildlife Information. 2.0 SURVEY AREA DESCRIPTION The survey area is located in the Wildcat Mound-South Platte River (HUC 101900030604) watershed in Weld County in the town of Platteville, southeast of Gilcrest. More specifically,the survey area is located in Section 29, Township 4 North, Range 66 West (Center point of survey area 40.280908° N, - 104.796841°W).To access the survey area from 1-25 and State Route 66,take exit 243 and head east on State Route 66 for approximately 8.4 miles. Then turn north (left) onto US-85 N/Platte St. and continue for 5.3 miles. Turn west (left) onto County Road 40. After 0.8 mile, the survey area will be on the right. The survey area is undeveloped and consists of an open vacant field that has been used historically for agricultural and mining purposes.A vicinity and location map for the survey area is provided as Figure 1. The average elevation within the survey area is 4,765 feet above mean sea level. The topography is generally flat across the entire survey area, with a small mound of material from mining activities in the southwest corner. Farmers Independent Ditch serves as the boundary of the survey area from the southwest corner to the northeast. Land neighboring the survey area in all directions is primarily agricultural fields,with some commercial businesses and a few dispersed residences. Refer to Photos 1-8 below for general characteristics of the survey area. 1