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3.2.6 Climate <br />Climatic information is found in Section 2.04.8 of the Permit. The region is characterized by a <br />semi-arid steppe climate regime. Precipitation averages 18 inches per yeaz with a significant <br />portion of this yearly precipitation occurring as snowfall. Prevailing winds over the permit area <br />are from the southwest and average eight to nine miles per hour. High winds are not common, <br />due to the protection afforded by local terrain. <br />3.2.7 Soils <br />Soils information is found in Section B, Item N of this document, as well as in Section 2.04.9 <br />and Exhibit 9 of the Permit. The most prevalent soils, the Barnette and Work L.oams, are <br />mollisols of the suborder boroll, which developed on gently sloping [o rolling ridgetops, <br />moderately steep sideslopes, and in gently sloping, concave narrow stream valleys. Shallow, <br />rocky soils of the order entisol occur to a limited extent within the area to be disturbed on steep, <br />south-facing slopes. <br />For the most part, the soils that developed on the gentle slopes and swales, including the Barnette <br />and Work L.oams, are deep loams and clay loams with physical and chemical properties that are <br />well suited for revegetation. One soil unit, the Campspass Fine Sandy Loam, which occupies <br />considerable acreage in the southern and western portions of the permit area, is characterized by <br />subsoils high in clay content. These soils, if salvaged and redistributed directly on the regraded <br />spoils, could hamper reclamation efforts due to the high runoff, erosion hazard, slow permeability <br />and droughty conditions associated with fine textured soils. <br />3.2.8 Ground Water Hydrology <br />Ground water information is found in Sections 2.04.5, 2.04.7 and Exhibit 7 of the Permit and <br />Annual Hydrologic Reports. Ground water occurs as isolated, perched aquifers in interbedded <br />13 <br />