REV08199 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

-4- Rule 2.04.10 Vegetation Information The mine area apparently encompasses four vegetation types including: Mountain Shrub, Pinion-Juniper, Ponderosa Pine/Douglas-Fir, and Introduced Pasture. The general descriptions of these communities are fine, however, only the introduced pasture includes any king of quantitative data describing cover and production. The other areas should also have general range site descriptions describing typical cover and production for these vegetation types (should be available from SCS). This information is necessary because standards have been established that are considerably lower than those for the introduced pasture type but this is the only vegetation type with cover and production data. Also, on page 2.04.10-1 near the end of the second paragraph it states "the fourth most extensive community which has been MOST AFFECTED by prior mining operations." )f this is the case, the Divsion could require the operator to return the disturbed area to introduced pasture which has considerably higher standards than what is currently approved. As you can see this is a little confusing but problems may be cleared up by determining more precisely what was present before mining began and obtaining SCS range site data showing the typical cover and production of those other disturbed vegetation types. To help clarify this please request the following information: 1. Range Site descriptions of the mountain shrub, P-J and douglas fir community types showing typical cover and production figures. 2. A breakdown of the vegetation types pre-disturbance (this information may be difficult to obtain but the best guesstimate will help) including acreages of each area with an accompanying map. Based on tfie infonation the Division receives the success standards may have to be re- evaluated_ _ _ Rule 2.05.2 Life of mine needs to be updated with current figures from mining the lower seam. Rule 2.05.3 This last sentence in the section entitled "Design Structures on page 3 should state "all designed hydraulic and waste pile structures..." Page 4, paragraph 3 of "Surface Drainage" - state that approximately .xx acres of the permit area lies below the sediment ponds and runoff from this area tends to collect and drain along the access mad. This runoff..."