APPCOR12152

• Permit No: C1981026
• IBM Index Class Name: Application Correspondence
• Doc Name: CANADIAN STRIP MINING AND RECLAMATION PLAN WYOMING FUEL CO - TECHNICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

o North Fork is an ephemeral drainage, based on monitoring
data from Well 2. An ephemeral drainage does not qualify
as a potential alluvial valley floor based on water
availability for natural subirrigation.
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,~ o The potential for flood irrigation agricultural activi-
ties does not exist within the Bolton Draw watershed.
This is also discussed in Chapter III of the TEA.
On the basis of this evidence, the applicant is requesting a neg-
ative alluvial valley floor determination for the North Fork of
Bolton Draw. The means used to derive this evidence is discussed
in more detail in Chapter III of the TEA. Regardless of the AVF
finding, most of the identified subirrigated area along North
Fork will not be physically disrupted by mining. Of 5.4 acres,
only 0.67 acres will be thus impacted. The unnamed alluvial soil
unit which includes the subirrigated area constitutes 14.4 acres,
of which 6.0 acres will be physically disrupted by mining opera-
tions.
The applicant has acknowledged that Bolton Draw itself is a
potential AVF. (Vol. 1, p. 116 of the permit application). This
finding agrees with previous evaluations of that stream presented
in the Marr Strip Mine Technical and Environmental Analysis, and
the Canadian Strip Mine Technical and Environmental Analysis,
July 21, 1980. This determination is based on the following con-
siderations:
o Bolton Draw exhibits a channel along its entire length
and is underlain by alluvial deposits ranging from 100 to
400 feet in width (p. 108, Vol. 1 of the permit applica-
tion and p. 53 of the July 21, 1980 Canadian Strip Mine
TEA). The stream is also characterized by active flood-
plain deposits.
o Monitoring Well 2 in the Bolton Draw alluvium indicates
that groundwater is held in those deposits.
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