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I~ <br />2.04 Application for Permit for Surface or <br />Underground <br />2.04.1 Objective <br />Mining Activities <br />T'he following is a comp) to a description of the environmental resources at and near the West Elk <br />Mine. <br />2.04.2 Responsibilities <br />Mountain Coal Company is providing information required under this section to illustrate and <br />describe the environmental resources that may be affected by the West Ells Mine. <br />2.04.3 General Requirements: Site Description and Land Use <br />Information <br />General Description: West Elk Mine Permit and Adjacent Area <br />. The West Elk Mine pemut azea is located primarily on the western, edge of Gunnison County, with <br />some extension into Delta County, Colorado, near the unincorporated town of Somerset. T'he site <br />lies along the western flank of the West Elk Mountains within the drainage basin of the North Fork <br />of the Gunnison River. Average annual precipitation ranges from approximately 2S mm (10 inches) <br />along the North Fork of the Gunnison River and the lower portion of Minnesota Creek to as much <br />as 60 mm (24 inches) on the flanks of Mount Gunnison. The majority of the precipitation falls as <br />snow during the winter months, while the sparse summer precipitation consists of isolated <br />thunderstorms. The majority of the azea is covered with tall (1-31m) shrub vegetation, consisting <br />primarily of Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) and Saskatoon servicebeny (Amelanchier alnifolia). <br />The azea is currently used for grazing by domestic livestock (cattle and sheep), and wildlife (deer <br />and elk). Recreational activities such as big game hunting also occur here. The Somerset and Beaz <br />Mines aze located just northwest of the West Elk Mine. <br />The West Elk Mine permit azea is drained by the North Fork of the Gunnison River, which is part <br />of the Colorado River drainage basin. The northern one-third of the pemut azea is drained by <br />ephemeral streams directly into the North Fork of the Gunnison River, while Minnesota Creek <br />serves as the main watercourse for the remainder of the azea. <br />Slopes range from 0 to 90 percent on the pemut azea. Elevations on the property range from about <br />5,900 feet in the vicinity of Somerset in the valley of the North) Fork to about 9,200 feet in the <br />extreme southeast comer of the coal lease azea on the flanks of Mount Gunnison. However, most of <br />the coal lease azea is between 7,000 and 8,000 feet in elevation. Major topographic expressions in <br />the area aze: to the south (Mt. Lamborn - 11,396 feet, Coal Mountain - 11,695 feet, and the Chain <br />2,04-1 Revised Jan /994 PROS; Revised Dec. 1994 TR74; RevisedJvn. /995 PR06; November 2004 PRI7 <br />