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• SECTION 2.04.3 <br />SITE DESCRIPTION AND LAND USE INFORMATION <br />Pre-Mining and Existing Land Use at the New Horzon Mine <br />General. Historical land use in and around the New Horizon Mine has been predominantly related <br />to agriculture. The white man actively began settling the area in the last 1890's, establishing <br />livestock operations to take advantage of the large grazeable tracts of native rangeland. Around <br />1900, the town of Nucla was established and became a center of agricultural activity with the <br />completion of the Colorado Cooperative Irrigation Ditch in 1910. The completion of the ditch and <br />the delivery of San Miguel River water to the First and Second Park areas surrounding Nucla <br />provided a means for viable agricultural production in an area with a near desert cimatic regime. <br />The extensive surrounding lands which remained in native rangeland continued to be used for <br />• livestock production and hunting of v~ildlife, primarily big game. <br />In 1898, the uranium bearing ore carnotite was discovered in the area and uranium mining began <br />its roller coaster ride to importance as a major industry in the area. When mining of carnotite <br />declined after 1923, the mining of vanadium for steel alloys became an important industry through <br />World War II. Also during World War II, uranium mining began gaining importance again and <br />boomed in the 50's and 60's as nuclear power and weapons' demands increased. The 70's saw a <br />decline in the uranium mining and processing industries, with activity virtually at a standstill by 1986. <br />The mining of coal had been ongoing on a small scale from the early to mid 1900's. These mining <br />operations were small underground operations generally run by individuals. The present New <br />Horizon surtace coal mine, the largest coal operation in the area, was initially opened in 1958 by the <br />Edna Coal Company as the Navajo Mine. In September of 1963, Peabody Coal Company <br />purchased the mine, renamed it the Nucla Mine and operated it until temporary cessation of activities <br />in 1983, when the Naturita Power Plant was deactivated. The mine was placed into inactive status <br />in 1988. The power plant at Naturita was then reconstructed as a recirculating fluidized bed Type <br />power plant to test this type of new boiler technology. Associated with the power plant <br />• reconstruction, Western Fuels-Colorado, a Limited Liability Company {WFC), purchased the Nucla <br />(REVISED 3-29-96) 2, Qt}.3-1 <br />