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opinion of the Soil Conservation Service that this subirrigation would most likely be <br />related to the Hay Gulch water table. <br />The Division fords that activities proposed by the applicant will not interrupt, <br />discontinue, or preclude farming on the alluvial valley floors that are irrigated or <br />naturally subirrigated. (4.24.3(1)). <br />The proposed activities will not materially damage the quantity or quality of water <br />in the surface or ground water system described above. (4.24.3(3) and <br />2.06.8(5)(a)(ii))• <br />The proposed activities will comply with the requirements of the Act and the <br />Regulations with respect to alluvial valley floors. (2.06.8(5)(a)(iii)). <br />Surface coal mining and reclamation operations will be conducted to preserve the <br />essential hydrologic functions of alluvial valley Floors outside the permit area and to <br />reestablish the essential hydrologic functions of alluvial valley floors within the <br />affected area throughout the mining and reclamation process. (4.24.2). <br />B. An environmental monitoring system shall be installed, maintained, and operated by <br />the permittee on all alluvial valley floors during surface coal mining and reclamation <br />operations and continued until all bonds are released in accordance with Rule. 3. <br />(4.24.4). <br />XV. Operations on Prime Farmland <br />Information pertaining to prime farmland is presented in Section 2.04.12 of the permit <br />application. <br />The Division previously made a negative determination fur the presence of prime <br />farmland within the permit area. The basis for this decision was that there are no prime <br />farmland mapping units (soils) within the permit area and the land has not been <br />historically used as cropland. <br />No new evidence has been submitted to alter this previous decision. Information <br />submitted in a new permit application for a nearby mine in Hay Gulch (La Plata Coal <br />Corporation, La Plata No. 1 Mine, permit application C-87-072) included a letter from <br />the Soil Conservation Service specifying the soils in the area do not qualify as prime or <br />unique farmland. Therefore, the Division reaffirms a negative determination for the <br />presence of prime farmland within the permit area. <br />26 <br />