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ExxiBiT I <br />Soils Information <br />Excerpts from the Soil Survey of Weld County, Southern Part (SCS, 1980) aze provided in <br />this Exhibit. Most of the soils in the proposed azeas are aquolls, aquents, and bankazd <br />sandy loam that commonly occur on bottomlands, floodplains, and natural drainageways. <br />These are generally deep, poorly drained soils that formed in recent alluvium. <br />These soils are primazily suited for pasture, rangeland, and wildlife habitat. They aze well <br />suited to reestablishment of grasses as proposed in the Reclamation Plan. If recommended <br />by SCS, soil samples will be subjected to agricultural testing to evaluate fertilizer <br />requirements. <br />The affected lands within the permit area contain many types of soils. The U.S. Department <br />of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service delineates the extents of, and characterizes each <br />soil type in a soil survey. The Soils Map, enclosed at the end of this Exhibit, illustrates <br />where these soils are present within the permit area. The following are descriptions of the <br />soils found in the azea. <br />3 -Aquolls and Aquents, gravelly substratum <br />This nearly level map unit is on bottomlands and floodplains of all the major streams in the <br />survey area. Aquolls, which have a dark colored surface layer, make up about 60 percent of <br />the unit. Aquents, which have a lighter colored surface layer, make up about 35 percent. <br />About 5 percent is Aquepts and Bankard sandy loam. <br />These aze deep, poorly drained soils that formed in recent alluvium. No one pedon is <br />typical. Commonly the soils have a mottled, mildly alkaline to moderately alkaline loamy <br />or clayey surface layer and underlying material and are underlain by sand or sand and <br />gravel within 48 inches. In places they have a gleyed layer in the underlying material. <br />Most of the acreage is subject to flooding. The water table is at or near the surface early in <br />spring and recedes to as deep as 48 inches late in fall in some yeazs. <br />These soils aze used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Some small area have been <br />reclaimed by major drainage and leveling and are used for imgated crops. <br />The potential native vegetation is dominated by alkali sacaton, switchgrass, and western <br />wheatgrass. saltgrass, sedge, rush and alkali bluegrass aze also prominent. Potential <br />production ranges from 3000 pounds per acre in favorable yeazs to 2000 pounds in <br />unfavorable years. As range condition deteriorates, the switchgrass, alkali sacaton, and <br />western wheatgrass decrease and saltgrass, sedge and rush increase. <br />Management of vegetation should be based on taking half and leaving half of the total <br />annual production. Seeding is difficult and costly because numerous tillage practices aze <br />required to eliminate the saltgrass sod. switchgrass, western wheatgrass, alkali sacaton, tall <br />OMG 112 Permit <br />Page 36 of 81 <br />