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With regard to these alluvial valley floors, the Division made the following findings: <br />1. Interruption, Discontinuation or Precluding of Farming (2.06.8(5)(a)(I)(A)(I) <br />Mel Martinez, landowner, owns the adjacent AVF and surrounding lands. He is <br />presently engaged in agricultural practices on 450 acres of land. Of the 450 acres, <br />108 is irrigated pasture (the adjacent AVF). The current mining operation has <br />removed 12.5 acres of the irrigated pasture from production, which accounts for <br />11.5 percent of the areal extent of the pasture land and 2 percent of the entire land <br />azea to be used for agricultural practices. <br />Production figures for the pasture show that 1,000 air-dried pounds/acre can be <br />expected from the AVF area. Removal of 12.5 acres of land from production <br />effectively reduces total production in the AVF 11.5 percent. Total production <br />from the entire farming operation is 244,800 lbs. This figure is based on [he <br />above-mentioned production figure for the pasture plus the additional 342 acres, <br />with a production rate of 400 Ib/acre. The mining disturbance therefore <br />effectively reduces the farm's total production by 5 percent. Based on this <br />analysis, the Division 5nds the removal of 12.5 acres of the AVF from production <br />to be negligible when compared to the farm's total production. However, any <br />additional disturbance to the AVF is disallowed. <br />The operation has interrupted agriculture, but the Division finds that the disturbed <br />azea is of such small acreage as to be of negligible impact on the farm's <br />production. <br />2. Material Damage to Quality or Quantity of Surface or Ground Water Systems <br />which Supply Alluvial Valley Floors (2.06.8(5)(a)(I)(A)(In <br />The permittee has provided to the Division an estimate of the amount and rate of <br />water which will be depleted from Stollsteimer Creek following closure of the <br />East Pit (Exhibit 33, Volume N, approved permit application). The total amount <br />of water which will be depleted from Stollsteimer Creek to recharge [he spoils <br />aquifer, which will develop in the existing East Pit, is approximately 42 million <br />gallons. The rate of recharge will be the sum ofinfiltration -deep percolation rate <br />(l gpm), and the rate of inflow from the pit walls (10 gpm). The rate of inflow <br />from the pit walls will decrease logarithmically from 10 to 0 gpm with time. The <br />calculated time for a complete recharge of the spoil aquifer will be between 20 <br />and 30 years. Inflows into the Barren Ridge pit during mining are estimated at <br />from 2 to 3 gallons per minute. The majority of this water will be returned to the <br />stream after passing through sediment ponds. Total depletion of water from <br />Stollsteimer Creek during mining due to infiltration into [he Barren Ridge pit will <br />amount to less than one percent of the Stollsteimer Creek surface flow (Piteau <br />Report, September 15, 1983, Exhibit 38, Federal Lease permit revision <br />application). After mining, flow to the reclaimed Barren Ridge pit will decrease <br />17 <br />