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- 5 - • 2. Description of the Affected Environment r r ~ The mine site is located at an elevation of approximately 5800 feet. Land use within the permit and adjacent areas is rangeland and wildlife habit at. Range- land 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 Val- ley which is adjacent to the permit area . McClane Canyon is located in the Raan Cliffs area just north of Grand Valley. This area is northeast of the Garmesa Anticline and an the southern flank of the Piceance Basin approximately 30 mile west and north of Grand Junction. Local strata dip to the northeast into the Piceance Basin at approximately 2 degrees. The coal to be mined is within a graben which is bounded by two high-angle faults. The upper Cretaceous, Mesa Verde Group, :fount Garfield Formation is the coal bearing formation in the Book Cliffs Coal Field. This formation consists of fine grained and medium grained sandstones and gray shales. The Sego Sand- stone underlies the Mount Garfield Formation with the Nunter Formation overly- ing the Mount Garfield Formation. The Mount Garfield Formation contains four coal zones; the Loma, Carbonera, Cameo, and Palisade zones. The Cameo seam will be mined at the McClane Canyon Mine. The surface and mineral rights in this permit area are owed by the U.S. Government. O No major bedrock aquifers of regional extent have been identified in the per- mit and adjacent areas by the applicant which is Co be expected since the bulk of the Cameo seam being mined is above water table. Drilling has indicated that the Cameo coal seam becomes increasingly saturated dow dip from its out- crop in McClane Canyon. The coal seam subcrops in the East Salt Creek allu- vium several miles from the mine which is identified as the recharge area for the Cameo seam. Some local lenticulaz strata of limited extent have been identified above the Cameo seam which contain perched ground water. Alluvial ground water exists within the East Salt Creek alluvium. The East Salt Creek Valley contains an intermittent stream channel. The climate in the region is arid. Prevailing winds at or near ground level at the mine are dictated by the orientation of the deeply incised McClane Can- yon. The annual average precipitation recorded at Fruits (22 miles southeast of McClane Canyon) is 8.8 inches. The soils mapped in the permit area are vell to excessively drained and have formed in alluvial or colluvial sediments. Soils are deepest in the valley bottoms and become shallower along the canyon sides lopes where they inter- sperse with bare rock. All of the soils are rated good to fair as sources of topsoil for reclamation. Limitations ezis[ for subsoils in the alluvium which demonstrate strong alkaline pH values. u c .~