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Section 779.22 (a) Continued. <br />• and the small number of ponds or other impoundments. These limited <br />water supplies and productivity in the mine plan and adjacent area <br />necessitate that land use be restricted to rangeland and dryland <br />farming. <br />Capability of the Land to Support a Variety of Uses <br />Physical and social constraints at the present time severely limit <br />the variety of uses suitable for lands within the proposed permit <br />area. Various potentials of the area to produce alternative products <br />are found in Table 81, Land Use Capabilities and Cropland Peter.- <br />tials within the Proposed Energy ruels Corporation Permit Area and <br />Table 82, Soil and Foundation Suitability Potentials and Limitations <br />for Alternative Land Uses. <br />Alternative Land Uses. According to these interpretations, there <br />• are serious limitations that might be expected if the present land <br />uses of rangeland, pastureland and cropland are changed to other <br />uses. Conversion to residential or industrial uses would be <br />severely restricted due to the very poor soil and foundation <br />characteristics resulting from the shallow soils, steep slopes and <br />high clay content in many of the soils. <br />Aside from the edaphic and topographic limitations, residential, <br />industrial, or commercial development appear unlikely due to the <br />remoteness of the proposed permit area from the population centers <br />of the county. Historic population trends in the Twentymile Park <br />Area reflect a centralization of population in the towns of Hayden, <br />Steamboat Springs and Oak Creek. (see Northwest Colorado Coal <br />Environmental Statement, Regional Analysis, page II-93). <br /> Increased recreational opportunities are possible for the Twenty- <br /> mile Park Area, particularly involving th e hunting of deer and elk. <br />• In recent years, land owners adjacent to the proposed permit area <br />779-308 <br />