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1.0 INTRODUCTION <br /><• This report presents information about the soil resources on the Seneca Coal Company (SCC) <br />Yoast Development Area (hereafter referred to as study area) in Routt County, Colorado. The <br />proposed mine site is located 8.5 miles southeast of Hayden, Colorado and is situated <br />approximately 4 miles southwest of SCC's Seneca II Mine and 3.5 miles east of SCC's <br />Seneca II-W Mine. Soil maps and data contained in this report have been prepared to assist <br />Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC), SCC, and the Colorado Department of Natural <br />Resources, Division of Minerals and Geology (CDMG), formerly Mined Land Reclamation <br />Division (CMLRD), in examining the soil resources of the area with respect to their potential use <br />in mined land reclamation efforts. <br />A detailed soil survey of the entire study area and proposed haul road corridor was conducted <br />during the fall of 1992 with some additional mapping conducted in late July, 1993. This Order 1 <br />soil survey was conducted on approximately 2,960.2 acres. <br />Based on this detailed soil survey, soil suitability ratings were generated by soil horizon for each <br />mapped soil series or series variant. This report addresses the objectives, methods, and results <br />of the soil survey. The soil investigation was conducted iri accordance with CDMG rules and <br />regulations with supporting consultation. <br />1.1 Objectives <br />The basic objectives of the field investigations were to map and sample the soils of the study <br />area in sufficient detail to characterize their physical and chemical properties and depths to <br />which they may be salvaged as a source of topsoil for reclamation purposes. Thus, the site- <br />specific characteristics of the soil that may influence soil salvage, stockpiling, and redistribution <br />were inventoried. The specific study objectives relating to the soil survey are as follows: <br />• Satisfy the requirements of the CDMG as found in CDMG rules 2.04.9, 2.04.12, <br />2.06.6, statute [34-33-110(2)(q)CSCMRA] and consultation. <br />• Identify and document the various soil types occurring on the study area and their <br />areal extent. <br />• Obtain from the USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS), a prime farmland <br />determination for the various soil types occurring on the study area. <br />• Identify the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil within the permit area <br />by sampling representative soil pedons for laboratory analysis. Most of these <br />• <br />1 <br />