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<br />Greystone Development Consultants indicating evidence of insurance. Therefore, the <br />Division found the renewal application complete on September 7, 1998. <br />Picketwire Processing published notice of the application for renewal once a week for four <br />weeks beginning on August 28, 1998. No public comments were received as a result of <br />the public notice. <br />Description of the Environment <br />The mine site is located in a plateau area. The elevation of the surface facilities range <br />from 7,400 to 7,800 feet. Land use in the area consists of cropland, rangeland, <br />pastureland, and wildlife habitat. Livestock grazing and hay production on irrigated lands <br />are the main agricultural practice conducted in the general area. A variety of large and <br />small mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles are permanent or temporary residents <br />of the area. <br />The New Elk Mine is located in the western limb of the Raton Basin. The Raton Basin is a <br />broad, asymmetric syncline whose axis trends north-south. Past mining at the New Elk <br />mine was entirely within the Allen seam, stratagraphically located in the Raton Formation. <br />The Poison Canyon Formation uncomformably overlies the Raton Formation. The Poison <br />Canyon Formation has a thickness of approximately 200 feet and occurs only as small, <br />isolated outcrops above an elevation of 8,000 feet. Unconsolidated quaternary alluvial <br />and colluvial deposits overlie the Raton Formation in the low-lying areas. <br />The rock strata dip approximately two degrees to the north-northeast. The permit area <br />contains one steep, normal fault trending east-northeast with vertical displacement less <br />than 25 feet. The Allen Seam lies from 450 to 900 feet below the surface. Immediately <br />above the coal are interbedded sandstone and siltstone shales. Interbedded sandstones, <br />shales, and siltstones also underlie the seam. <br />The alluvium of the Middle Fork of the Purgatoire River is a significant aquifer in the <br />permit and adjacent areas. The Purgatoire River originates several miles west of the mine <br />in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. ~ It flows into the Arkansas River near Las <br />Animas, Colorado, approximately 120 miles northeast of the mine. <br />Portions of the Apache Canyon, Pete Canyon, and Ciruela Canyon drainages are found <br />within the permit area. These basins contain intermittent and ephemeral streams that <br />flow predominately in response to runoff from snowmelt during the spring and intense <br />rainfall during the summer. A portion of the flow in intermittent drainages is sustained by <br />groundwater discharges. Pete Canyon is tributary to the North Fork, while Apache and <br />Ciruela Canyons are tributary to the main stem of the Purgatoire River. <br />The region is characterized by a semi-arid climate. The prevailing wind is from the <br />southwest and average annual precipitation is 16.92 inches. The length of the growing <br />season in the area varies from 90 to 1 10 days. <br />Vegetative communities in the area of the mine can be separated into two physiognomic <br />6 <br />