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• '~ • 2. Description of the Em•ironment (cor.'t) - -- The mine occurs within the lower montane climax region. Three vegetation types occur within and -adjacent to the permit area. A greasewood shrub land type occupies the flat terrian along the East Salt Creek drainage where soils are deep, well drained and often very sodic and moderately saline. Shadscale shrubland benders the greasewood shrub land along the do , steep, south facing slopes in the shallower soils which are interspersed with rock outcrops. Juniper l.~oodland is found along the ridge tops and steep north and west facing slopes of shallow soils and rock outcrops. These vegetation types are common to western Colorado and Utah. 3. Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plan Plost of the 7.7 acres to be disturbed by the surface facilities have alread•_- been disturbed. The existing operation consists of the bench portal and face up developments and mine support trailers. A coal surge pile also exists at the site. The only planned future disturbance is the construction of a sediment pond and topsoil stockpile which will occur after permit approval. Coal is mined underground ir, a down dip direction using room and pillar techniques. The mine workings have alread} progressed to a point approximately 1400 feet from the portal entries. The operation will produce approximately 123,000 tons of coal per year with a possible acceleration. to 246,000 tors for the second year. The total anticipated production for the permit term is approximately 369,500 tons over a two or three year period. Pfining during this term will aid Salt Creek ?•fining Company in determining the feasibility of further mining of coal beyond the permit term. Coal is mined at the exposed face b}• a continuous miner. The mined coal is then shuttled to a conveyor within the mine which transports the coal to the bench at the portal entries. On the bench coal is crushed, stockpiled, and loaded onto highway trucks and transported to the loadout. The loadout is located near Loma, Colorado along a railroad siding. This facility will be permitted under the permit issued for the Munger Canyon Paine and information pertaining to the loadout is included in the Munger Canyon permit application. Review, approval and permitting of the facility be the Division will occur during the Plunger Car.:•on permitting process. Salt Creek Pining Company has also submitted a^ application for a loadout facilit}• near P1ack, Colorado. This facility will be used when. the nines reach full production. The Pfack loadout proposal is currentl•_- under reviec,• by the Division. No topsoil was stripped prior to the development which has already occured at the mine. The development occurred prior to the Colorado Surface Coal Pfining Declamation Act ane prior to the topsoil salvage requirements of the Act. Construction of the sediment pond will require stripping of topsoil. Topsoil will be salvaged from future disturbances to assist in reclamation of the e:~:isting disturbance after mining.