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-6- <br />.• <br />INTRODUCTION <br />West Elk Coal Company operates the Mt. Gunnison No. 1 underground coat mine, <br />which is located approximately 10 miles Northeast of Paonia on Colorado State <br />Highway No. 133. The mine portal facilities are located on the South side of <br />the North Fork of the Gunnison River at an elevation of 6,450 feet. The <br />eastern and western extremities of the Mt. Gunnison No. 1 Mine permit area are <br />bounded closely by Sylvester Gulch and Gribble Gulch, respectively, and the <br />northern extremity of the permit area is bounded by the North Fork of the <br />Gunnison River. The southern boundary of the permit area is located <br />approximately one mile north of the Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek. The general <br />area in which the mine is located is characterized by a semi-arid environment <br />of steeply sloping mountains covered primarily with tall shrub vegetation, <br />particularly oak brush and serviceberry. The area is currently used for <br />grazing by domestic livestock (cattle and sheep) and wildlife (deer and elk). <br />Recreational activities such as big game hunting also occur here. The Mt. <br />Gunnison No. 1 Mine permit area is drained 6y the North Fork of the Gunnison <br />• River, which is part of the Colorado River drainage basin. Slopes range from <br />0 to 60 percent on the permit area, and elevations range from about 5;900 feet <br />zt Somerset to approximately 8,000 feet at the southern extremity of the <br />permit area. <br />The general direction of mining is southward to extract coal from the F-seam. <br />The coal moves via conveyor belts from portal to breaker to silo, then across <br />the river to a railroad loadout station where it is 1•oaded onto trains for <br />shipment to market. The ultimate size for the Mt. Gunnison No 1 Mine is <br />approximately 2.8 million tons per year, and it is estimated by the operator <br />that the production buildup to this level is expected to cover a period of ten <br />years, contingent upon coal sales. Room and pillar and possibly longwall <br />mining methods are planned for use in the Mt. Gunnison No. 1 Mine. <br />Permanent reclamation of the mine surface facilities site and other disturbed <br />areas will be reclaimed incrementally during the operation as suitable areas <br />becomes available, such as the initial and upper waste rock piles. The <br />estimated duration of the entire life of the mine operation is approximately <br />40 years. <br />• <br />