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-9- <br />Samples of water from local wells were found to contain extremely hiyh <br />levels of sodium, sulfate, and bicarbonate. Plumes of water of degraded <br />quality originate in the old mine workings and spread downdip in a <br />west-southwest direction. <br />Within the permit area are two ephemeral drainages. The Maitland and <br />Gordon Hrroyos flow only in direct response to rainfall or snowmelt. <br />Both Arroyos drain from the west to the east. <br />The region is characterized by a semiarid climate regime. The prevailing <br />wind is from the west. Average annual precipitation is 15.3 inches. The <br />average annual growing season is approximately 200 days. <br />Soils at the mine site are of the orders Aridisol and Entisol which <br />characteristically demonstrate little to no profile development. These <br />soils are characteristic of semiarid environments. Soil depth and degree <br />of development vary with topographic position and microclimate effects. <br />Generally, the deeper and better developed soils occupy valley bottoms <br />while shallow soils of lesser horizon development are located on <br />sideslopes and ridge tops. <br />Vegetation is distributed in response to the soil, slope, and aspect <br />characteristics of the site. Apinyon-juniper community is found on <br />foothills and upland areas above 6,300 feet, primarily in the south and <br />west portions of the proposed permit area. This community is composed <br />primarily of shrubs and trees with a sparse understory. Pinyon Pine and <br />Utah Juniper are the dominant species in this community. Cover is low <br />(6%j as is productivity (250 lb/ac). <br />A grassland community is found on the flat and yently rolling portions of <br />the permit area at elevations below 6,300 feet. This community is <br />composed of a mixture of cool and warm season grasses, dominated by Blue <br />Grama and Three Awn. Cover and production (26% and 918 lb/ac), are <br />moderate to low. <br />There are also several small disturbed communities. These species have <br />invaded into areas where surface disturbance (mainly from mining) <br />resulted in the native community being weakened or destroyed. <br />Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plan <br />The applicant plans to disturb a total of approximately 900 acres during <br />the life of the dry mine plan operation. Currently, approximately 33 <br />acres of disturbance occur at the site as a result of the test burn <br />excavation and associated stockpiles and sediment control measures and 2 <br />acres of existing roads. <br />The applicant anticipates that coal will be removed at a rate of 150,000 <br />tons during the first year of production then increase to 520,000 tons <br />per year for the remainder of the mine life. The projected life-of-mine <br />under the dry mine plan is 27 months. <br />