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Creek mine has shown that ground water movement along the faults is minimal. The Twentymile sandstone is separated from the Wadge coal- overburden aquifer by up to 700 feet of very low permeability shale within the permit and adjacent areas. The underlying 700-foot shale and the overlying shales and siltstones of the upper Williams Fork Formation and the Lewis Shale Formations confine the Twentymile sandstone aquifer, allowing artesian conditions to develop. To the northeast, the Twentymile sandstone recharges the alluvial aquifer and provides base flow to the tributaries of Trout Creek down gradient of the proposed permit area. Salts in the Twentymile sandstone waters are predominantly sodium bicarbonate and result in TDS levels of 150 mg/1. This aquifer is occasionally used for domestic needs. Spoil springs have developed in many old pit areas and are added to the water monitoring program as they are identified. The climate of the permit area ie classified as semi-arid, with significant elevationally related variations in temperature and precipitation. Average annual precipitation within the permit area would be somewhere between the 15.45 inch average for Hayden and the 24 inch average for Steamboat Springs, with precipitation increasing with elevation. Two broadly classified soil complexes exist within the proposed permit area. These are topic Paleoborolls - Borollic Camborthids and Argic Cryoborolls - Cryic Paleoborolls. The former complex consists primarily of clayey, well drained soils developing in place from soft shales. These soils are used for cropland, pastureland and rangeland, with native vegetation consisting primarily of big sagebrush and mountain shrub communities. These soils occur primarily in the Mine 2 area, and lower elopes of Mine 1 and Eckman Park. The latter complex consists of moderately deep to deep, well drained loamy soils formed from sandstone and shale on mountain sides and ridges. These soils are used almost exclusively as rangeland and wildlife habitat, supporting native vegetation communities including mountain shrub, big sagebrush and aspen. These soils occur predominately within Eckman Park. Major vegetation communities within the proposed permit area, include aspen, big sagebrush, low sagebrush, mountain shrub, pastureland and cropland. The aspen community occurs on gently to moderately sloping topography at elevations above 7,000 feet. Aspen is the most extensive vegetation type at higher elevations of Eckman Park. The big sagebrush community occurs in various locations throughout the proposed permit area but is most prevalent on moderate to gently eloping topography at elevations between 7,000 and 7,600 feet and is typically associated with moderately deep, well drained loamy and clay loams. The low sage 8