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-b- 2. Description of the Environment ~~ The mine site is located at an elevation of approximately 5800 feet. Land use within the permit and adjacent areas is rangeland and wildlife habitat. Rangeland is generally confined to the lower lying canyon bottom lands. The upland area consists of steep slopes and rugged topography and is primarily used by wildlife. Some irrigated agriculture is practiced in the East Salt Creek Valley which is adjacent to the permit area. McClane Canyon is located in the Roan Cliffs area just north of Grand Valley. This area is northeast of the Gazmesa Pnticline and on the southern flank of the Piceance Basin. Local strata din to the northeast into the Piceance Basin at approximately 2 degrees. 'fhe coal to be mined is within a graben which is bounded by two high-angle faults. The Piount Garfield Formation is the coal bearing formation in the Book Cliffs Coal Field. The Mount Garfield Formation consists of fine grained and medium grained sandstones and gray shales. The Sego Sandstone underlies the Mount Garfield Formation while the Hunter Formation overlies the Mount.Garfield Formation. Included within the Hunter Formation are the massive cliff- forming sandstones which outcrop along the canyon walls of East Salt Creek. The Plount Garfield Formation contains four coal zones; the Loma, Carbonera, Cameo, and Palisade zones. The Cameo seam will be mined at the McClane Canyon Mine. No major bedrock aquifers of regional extent have been identified in the permit and adjacent areas by the applicant. Drilling has indicated that the Cameo coal seam becomes increasingly saturated down dip from its outcrop in McClane Canyon. The coal seam sub crops in the East Salt Creek alluvium several miles from the mine which is identified az the recharge area for the Cameo seam. Some local lenticular strata of limited extent have been identified above the Cameo seam which contain perched ground water. Alluvial ground water exists within the Eazt Salt Creek alluvium. The East Salt Creek Valley contains an intertuttent stream channel. McClane Canyon contains an ephemeral channel which is tributary to East Salt Creek. The proposed surface disturbance for the McClane Canyon mine is entirely within the McClane Canyon drainage basin. The climate in the region is semiarid. Prevailing winds at or near ground level at the mine are dictated by the orientation of the deeply incised McClane Canyon. The annual average precipitation recorded at Fruita (22 miles southeast of P1cCLane Canyon) is 8.8 inches. The soils mapped in the permit area are well to excessively drained and have Formed in alluvial or colluvial sediments. Soils are deepest in the va.Lley bottoms and become shallower along the canyon sideslopes where they intersperse with bare rock. All of the soils are rated good to fair as sources of topsoil for reclamation. Limitations exist for .subsoils in the alluvium which demonstrate strongly al'.:aline pH values.