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<br />The Division proposes to approve these standards. <br />E. The Division has already approved of the reference area used for the New <br />Horizon 1 area which the applicant has selected based on the requirements of <br />Rule 4.15.7(3). <br />F. The reference areas will be utilized to determine revegetation success in a manner <br />which the Division finds acceptable 4.15.7(4). <br />VII. Post-mining Land Use <br />A. The Division is proposing to approve alternative post-mining land uses of <br />irrigated hayland, irrigated pasture and dryland pasture for the proposed New <br />Horizon Mine 2 area. <br />VIII. Protection of Fish, Wildlife and Related Environmental Values <br />A. Fish and wildlife habitat is a planned post-mining land use. The applicant has <br />selected appropriate plant species and distributions to benefit fish and wildlife <br />(4.18(4)(1)). <br />D{. Operations on Alluvial Valley Floors <br />A. The Division has determined that there are no alluvial valley floors along Tuttle <br />or Calamity Draws by definition. Geomorphically, these draws are located in <br />uplands several miles noRheast of the San Miguel River. The uplands are <br />overlain by less than ten feet of unconsolidated material, which has been <br />classified as aeolian and sheet wash material. (The depths of unconsolidated <br />material are documented in Appendix 6-1.) These draws would only have <br />intermittent flow if it were not for irrigation return flows and the areas are not <br />naturally subirrigated. <br />These areas are flood-irrigated by waters acquired from a headgate on the San <br />Miguel River, located approximately 15 miles upstream. San Miguel River water <br />quality (T'DS of 180 mg/1) is far better than that found in either Tuttle (TDS of <br />1200 mg/1) or Calamity Draws (TDS of 1950 mg/I). Water from Tuttle or <br />Calamity Draws could not be used for agriculture without very controlled <br />management. <br />The San Miguel River could support several potential alluvial valley floors. <br />However, since the mine areas are two-and-a-half to three miles upstream, the <br />distance separating the mine from the river is sufficient to mitigate any impacts. <br />In addition, the amount of flow contributed by Tuttle Draw and Calamity Draw to <br />the San Miguel River is very small (0.4 percent of annual mean flow at Uravan). <br />Therefore, the San Miguel River AVFs are considered to be located outside of the <br />potentially affected area. <br />21 <br />