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permit renewal application on February 6, 1998. The renewal. application was deemed complete on February 13, 1998, thereby securing the right of successive renewal. Notification of the permit renewal application was sent to the appropriate local governmental bodies agencies and authorities. The public notice of the complete renewal application was published in the Delta County Independent on February 18 and 25 and March 4 and March 11, 1998. The Division received only one response, [hat from the Colorado Historical Society, which found that there would not be any impacts on cultural resources. No other entities or individuals responded. The Division's adequacy review questions were sent to the operator on April 15, 1998 with Terror Creek's responses being sent to the Division in a submittal dated June 25, 1998. All adequacy review questions were satisfactorily answered. All of the permit application revised pages and maps were incorporated into the permit application in Minor Revision No. 17. Questions then arose as to the exact volume of topsoil that had been stockpiled on site and the exact number of disturbed area acreage. A final adequacy letter was sent on tdovember 25, 1998. This issue teas resolved with no new revised pages and the permit renewal decision was proposed to be approved on February 17, 1999. Description of the Environment Site Descri,~t ion and Land Use-Rule 2 04.3 Information regarding site description and land use can be located in the permit application in section 2.04.3. The 20-acre permit area is situated on a moderately steep (approximately 15~ slope) colluvial deposit between State Highway 133 and the flood plain of the North Fork of the Gunnison River, at an approximate elevation of 5,900 feet. The surrounding area is mountainous, with elevations ranging up to 8,300 feet at the summit of Jumbo Mountain, to the southeast of the permit area. The North Fork of the Gunnison has the appearance of a moderately broad alluvial valley, extending to approximately 1,500 feet wide. The valley separates high table lands south of the river from the slopes of the Grand Mesa to the north. The permit area is drained by the North Fork of the Gunnison River and two unnamed ephemeral drainages. Water in the North Fork is characterized as a calcium bicarbonate type with moderate levels of sulfate. Figure 1 shows the location of the Terror Creek Loadout in relation to the other mines within the North Fork drainage basin. The flood plain of the North Fork, immediately to the south of the permit area, has been found to meet the geomorphic criteria and irrigation requirements of an alluvial valley floor (AVF). The primary land use in the valley is irrigated agriculture, underground coal mining, and wildlife habitat. Orchards and pasture land are irrigated via the Fire Mountain Canal, which diverts water from the North Fork of the Gunnison, and the Deer Trail Ditch, which diverts water from Hubbard Creek. The pre- disturbance land use at the Loadout was for irrigated orchards. Irrigation water at Terror Creek is supplied by the Deer Trail Ditch, which flows by culvert over the Fire Mountain Canal near the northern permit boundary. Terror Creek Loadout Page 3