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~: ~ ~• Unltod States 1' 1f DeDaAmenl of ~~ ;i. ~}~~" AQrlculture ~ • Soil Consarvonon Servlca Tim Myers Blue F1ame~Coa1 Company Durango, Colorado 81301 Dear Tim: 701 Camino del R,Po Durango, Colorado 81301 March 31, 1986 I examined the soil and vegetation at the mine site with you on March 26, 1986. The two areas examined were the brushy hillside where the benches and mine shafts are, and the meadow area in the valley bottom. In the disturbed areas where the benches are, past mining activity has mixed the soils and mine waste with no effort to salvage topsoil. The average annual precipitation is about 20 inches. The '~ average annual air temperature is about 42 degrees and the frost free season is about 90 days at the site. The hillside has a northwest ~ aspect. '~ The soil on the brushy hillside is Zau stony loam on about 40 percent slope. It is classified as a fine, mixed Typic Argiboroll. Atypical pedon description follows. 0 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown stony loam • 8 to 13 inches; brown clay loam ~ 13 to 32 inches; brown and yellowish brown clay 32 to 40 inches; brown and yellowish brown clay loam 40 inches; weathered sandstone and shale The Zau soil has a pH of 7.2 and conductivity of less than 2.0. It is suitable for use as topsoil in reclamation oP the site. The meadow area in the valley bottom is the Biq Blue clay loam on about 1 percent slope. It is classified as a fine, montmorillontic, (calcareous), frigid Fluvaquentic Haplaquoll. It has a high watertable most of the year that rises to within 18 inches of the surface. A typical pedon of Big~Blue follows. 0 to 4 inches; very dark gray clay loam I, 4 to 10 inches; gray silty clay loam 10 to 60 inches; gray silty clay. This layer has glayed colors resulting from poor drainage. The Big Blue soil has a pli of 8.0 in the surface and is suitable for plant growth. r~ U 0 Tha SoY Conserv etion Servr<a U ~! en epency of the D epenmenl o~ Apricull ure