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The river itself is classed as a warm water fishery and may support populations of four threatened and <br />endangered fish; the Colorado Pikeminnow, the Razorback Sucker, the Humpback Chub, and <br />Boneytail Chub. Disturbed drainage azeas aze routed through sediment ponds, and both surface <br />drainage and minewater discharges are subject to specific dischazge limits to protect water quality. No <br />significant impacts to quality or quantity of water in the Colorado River are projected as a result of the <br />Roadside operation, and fish populations will not be impacted. <br />The application indicates that both bald and golden eagles inhabit the permit azea. In order to protect <br />these and other raptors from electrocution, the permittee has installed perch guards on power poles as <br />shown in Figure 2.05.6(2)A of the application. <br />The proposed operation is in compliance with the requirements of this section. <br />X. Subsidence Control <br />Subsidence Survey, Monitoring, and Control Plans aze addressed in Tab 20, Volume 6 of the permit <br />application. <br />Powderhom Coal Company has completed a survey of stmctures and renewable resource lands <br />existing within the permit azea. The pem>ittee has delineated several structures overlying the proposed <br />underground workings. The Ute Water District, which serves approximately 45,000 people, has a <br />water treatment plant, several storage tanks, and a 24-inch treated water distribution pipeline above the <br />existing Roadside Mine workings. Several raw water collection pipelines also cross the proposed <br />Cottonwood mining azea. Limited alluvial deposits, which represent minor surficial aquifers, do exist <br />within the flood plain azeas of Cottonwood Creek and Rapid Creek drainages. <br />The currently approved mining and reclamation plan does not include any further coal extraction. The <br />North Mine portals, 2 West Portals, and South Fan shaft, Northwest Intake Portal, and North Decline <br />Portals have been sealed and backfilled. The South Mine Portals have been sealed and aze scheduled <br />to be backfilled by the end of 2004. There are no remaining portals or mine openings that have not <br />been sealed. <br />The most recently approved five-yeaz mine plan that did include coal extraction, did not involve <br />additional mining below the Ute Water Conservancy District facilities or supplypipelines. Extraction <br />was also projected beneath the raw water collection pipelines within the Cottonwood lease area. In the <br />case ofboth the supply and raw water pipeline facilities, the worstpossible anticipated consequence of <br />mining would be the disruption of the pipeline. In both cases, the permittee demonstrated that the <br />materials necessary for repair aze readily accessible and that the disruption would not result in <br />cessation of service to the water district's water users. The pem>ittee proposed to prevent material <br />damage to both the raw water collection pipelines, channels, and associated alluvial aquifers of both <br />Rapid Creek and Cottonwood Creek through the retention of stable pillars. Protective pillars were also <br />to be retained below Coal Creek and Jerry Creek in the North Portal mining azea. <br />A raw water pipeline system that supplies the town of Palisade, mns along Cottonwood Creek to the <br />confluence of Rapid Creek. Damage to the pipeline was to be avoided by leaving pillars beneath the <br />pipeline route to assure additional stability. A second pipeline conveys raw water along Rapid Creek <br />from collection points southeast of the permit azea. Any pipeline damage will be mitigated by the <br />45 <br />