Laserfiche WebLink
deep Typic Haplaquolls) are found in the mid to lower reaches of the swales <br />and exhibit good quality soil to a depth of about 24 inches. The fine-loamy, <br />mixed, mesic, deep Typic Haplaquolls are found in the lower reaches of the <br />swales and along Calamity Draw. These soils have sandy loam and loam textures <br />to a depth of about four feet with sandy clay loam below that. The soils were <br />classified as Haplaquolls because of soil wetness. However, this diagnostic <br />factor is artificially induced because of irrigation water. The soils were <br />formed in the alluvium of the swales. Fair to good quality topsoil exists in <br />the Swale areas in thicknesses from 1.2 to over 4 feet. <br />Stipulation No. 11 <br />Reincorporate the baseline information and maps from the old Peabody <br />permit concerning "Nucla East" topsoil recovery and prime farmland <br />designation into the New Horizon Mine 2 permit document. <br />Vegetation, Wildlife and Land Use <br />Five vegetation communities are found in the present New Horizon Mine 1 permit <br />area: annual grains and hay (agricultural), grassland, upland sagebrush, <br />juniper, and riparian. Agricultural and grassland communities predominate. <br />The grassland community is an abandoned hayfield. The upland sagebrush <br />community dominates on lands not disturbed by agricultural practices. The <br />juniper community covers 1.8 acres. This type is actually an agricultura l <br />sub-type as the herbaceous understory is alfalfa hay meadow. Utah juniper <br />trees are well scattered. The riparian community covers 1.9 acres and occurs <br />along drainages. <br />Six general vegetation types are found on the New Horizon Mine 2 area: <br />irrigated pasture, irrigated hayland, irrigated cropland (small grains), <br />Swale/drainage, sagebrush/grass, and various miscellaneous types related to <br />old farmsteads, abandoned orchards, and disturbed areas. The New Horizon 2 <br />area is more intensively used for agricultural purposes than the New Horizon <br />Mine 1 area was. Irrigated agricultural land (pasture, hayland, and cropland) <br />comprises 130.9 acres, or 59.5 percent of the total 219.9-acre permit area. <br />The Swale/drainage vegetation type accounts for 56.3 acres, or 25.6 percent of <br />the total proposed permit area addition, while the upland area sagebrushJgrass <br />type covers 24.1 acres, or 11.0 percent. Miscellaneous types account for the <br />remainder of the land area (8.6 acres, or 3.9 percent). <br />The New Horizon Mine 1 permit area and <br />variety of wildlife including coyotes, <br />numerous bird species. <br />surrounding area is used by a large <br />fox, mule deer, elk (in the winter) and <br />Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plan <br />New Horizon Mine 1 <br />The presently permitted New Horizon Mine 1 encompasses 426.6 acres of which <br />145.7 acres was affected my mining activities. Several areas of ungraded <br />"pre-law" spoils existed when Peabody acquired the mine in 1963. These areas <br />were reclaimed in conjunction with existing mine operations. Since 1986 and <br />inclusive of 1988, coal was removed at a combined total of 311,750 tons from <br />-10- <br />