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channel. The extent of degraded spoil water incursion into the aquifers will be minimal. Dilution and <br />dispersion by ground water within the aquifers will further diminish the water quality impacts. <br />Wastes from the coal facility could potentially impact the quality of surface and ground water. The <br />sulfur content of the coals and their associated over and underlying strata range between one and <br />three percent. These levels are higher than any recorded levels for active coal mines in [he State of <br />Colorado. Also, abandoned coal mine records for the Durango, Colorado, area document problems <br />with acid mine waters and barren and burned spoil piles. Both of these facts indicate that the coal <br />processing wastes generated by the Carbon Junction Mine will be acid-forming and have a high <br />probability of being combustible and toxic-forming. <br />Coal processing wastes will be trucked to two temporary storage piles above the proposed pit <br />highwall. Surface runoff from the piles will be diverted into the pit and eventually discharged after <br />meeting NPDES discharge requirements. The waste piles will be approximately 10,000 cubic yards, <br />and hold wastes until the pit has been backfilled above the level of the reconstructed stream channel. <br />The wastes will be pushed in the pit by dozers once the pit has reached an elevation of 6890 feet. The <br />wastes will beplaced on atwo-foot compacted layer of clayey overburden, and then compacted. This <br />will minimize the water quality impact of the wastes by: 1) limiting the exposure of the wastes to <br />ground and surface waters, 2) preventing the washing of fines into the ground water system, and 3) <br />limiting infiltration and deep percolation within the wastes. <br />The coal processing wastes will be covered with a minimum of four feet of non-toxic overburden and <br />soils. This depth of cover should prevent toxicity to plants, ensure successful revegetation, and <br />prevent exposure of wastes to surface waters. <br />Climate <br />The climate of the area is relatively moderate, with a monthly low mean temperature of 25.3°F in <br />January and a monthly high mean temperature of 67.0°F in July. Record temperature extremes range <br />from a high of 99°F, recorded in August, to lows of -27°F, recorded in January and February. Annual <br />precipitation averages 18.04 inches, with a maximum of 2.36 inches in August and a minimum of 0.98 <br />inches in November. The average snowfall is 65.3 inches, with the highest amount in January (21.2 <br />inches), followed by December (14.8 inches). The average wind direction is generally from the west, <br />with an average speed of less than one knot. <br />Vegetation <br />The permit azea consists of a mosaic of pinon-juniper, mountain shrub, old field and cultivated <br />dryland wheat communities. The mountain shrub community is found primarily on the lower slopes <br />and drainages and is dominated by Gambel's oak. The pinon-juniper community occurs on higher <br />areas and in locations with shallow soils. In addition to pinon pine and Utah juniper, other common <br />shrubs include Utah serviceberry, Gambel's oak, true mountain mahogany, cliff Fendlerbush and <br />squawapple. Understory plants are relatively sparse. Dominant shrubs in the old field community <br />are rabbitbrush, broom snakeweed, big sagebrush and true mountain mahogany. The dominant <br />io <br />