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B. The land use within the New Horizon Mine 2 is related to agriculture, Brazing, and related support facilities. Approximately 85% of the proposed permit area is irrigated agriculture. The remaining IS% is composed of sagebrush rangeland, abandoned orchards, farmsteads and facilities. With the exception of replanting the apple orchard, the mine plans to continue the same post mining land uses of irrigated hayland and livestock grazing. The limited acreage of poor condition sagebrush rangeland will be reclaimed to dryland pasture, using introduced forage grasses adapted to the intensive livestock use associated with the mix of irrigated lands and dryland pasture in the permit area. The Division is proposing to approve the existing post-mining land uses of irrigated agriculture, including both irrigated pastureland and irrigated hayland, as well as dryland pastureland, and rangeland supporting livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. (4.16.1) IX. Protection of Fish. Wildlife and Related Environmental Values A. Fish and wildlife habitat is a planned post-mining land use. The applicant has selected appropriate plant species and distributions to benefit fish and wildlife (4.18(5)(1)). X. Operations on Alluvial Valley Floors A. The Division has determined that there aze no alluvial valley floors along Tuttle or Calamity Draws by definition. Geomorphically, these draws aze located in uplands several miles northeast of the San Miguel River. The uplands aze overlain by less than [en feet of unconsolidated material, which has been classified as aeolian and sheet wash material. (The depths of unconsolidated material are documented in Appendix 6-1.) These draws would only have intermittent flow if it were not for irrigation return flows and the aeeas aze not naturally subirrigated. These aeeas aze flood-irrigated by waters acquired from a headgate on the San Miguel River, located approximately 15 miles upstream. San Miguel River water quality (TDS of 180 mg/1) is far better than that found in either Tuttle (TDS of 1200 mg/1) or Calamity Draws (TDS of 1950 mg/1). Water from Tuttle or Calamity Draws could not be used for agriculture without very controlled management. The San Miguel River could support several potential alluvial valley floors. However, since the mine areas aze two-and-a-half to three miles upstream, the distance separating the mine from the river is sufficient to mitigate any impacts. In addition, the amount of flow contributed by Tuttle Draw and Calamity Draw to the San Miguel River is very small (0.4 percent of annual mean flow at Uravan). Therefore, the San Miguel River AVFs are considered to be located outside of the potentially affected area. 29