Laserfiche WebLink
B. The land use within the New Horizon Mine 2 is related to agriculture, grazing, and <br /> related support facilities. Approximately 85% of the proposed permit area is irrigated <br /> agriculture. The remaining 15%n is composed of sagebrush rangeland, abandoned <br /> orchards, farmsteads and facilities. With the exception of replanting the apple orchard, <br /> the mine plans to continue the same post mining land uses of irrigated hayland and <br /> livestock grazing. The limited acreage of poor condition sagebrush rangeland will be <br /> reclaimed to dryland pasture, using introduced forage grasses adapted to the intensive <br /> livestock use associated with the mix of irrigated lands and dryland pasture in the <br /> permit area. <br /> The Division is proposing to approve the existing post-mining land uses of irrigated <br /> agriculture, including both irrigated pastureland and irrigated hayland, as well as <br /> dryland pastureland, and rangeland supporting livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. <br /> (4.16.1) <br /> IX. Protection of Fish. Wildlife and Related Environmental Values <br /> A. Fish and wildlife habitat is a planned post-mining land use. The applicant has selected <br /> appropriate plant species and distributions to benefit fish and wildlife (4.18(5)(i)). <br /> X. Operations on Alluvial Valley Floors <br /> A. The Division has determined that there are no alluvial valley floors along Tuttle or <br /> Calamity Draws by definition. Geomorphically, these draws are located in uplands <br /> several miles northeast of the San Miguel River. The uplands are overlain by less than <br /> ten feet of unconsolidated material, which has been classified as aeolian and sheet <br /> wash material. (The depths of unconsolidated material are documented in Appendix <br /> 6-1.) These draws would only have intermittent flow if it were not for irrigation return <br /> flows and the areas are not naturally subirrigated. <br /> These areas are flood-irrigated by waters acquired from a headgate on the San Miguel <br /> River, located approximately 15 miles upstream. San Miguel River water quality <br /> (TDS of 180 mg/1) is far better than that found in either Tuttle (TDS of 1200 mg/1) or <br /> Calamity Draws (TDS of 1950 mg/1). Water from Tuttle or Calamity Draws could not <br /> be used for agriculture without very controlled management. <br /> The San Miguel River could support several potential alluvial valley floors. However, <br /> since the mine areas are two-and-a-half to three miles upstream, the distance <br /> separating the mine from the river is sufficient to mitigate any impacts. In addition, <br /> the amount of flow contributed by Tuttle Draw and Calamity Draw to the San Miguel <br /> River is very small (0.4 percent of annual mean flow at Uravan). Therefore, the San <br /> Miguel River AVFs are considered to be located outside of the potentially affected <br /> area. <br /> 29 <br />