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The major regional aquifer in the vicinity of the Meeker Area Mines is the Trout Creek <br />Sandstone, which is the upper member of the Iles Formation and lies 550 feet below the base of <br />the lowest coal seam in the mine plan. The sandstones of the Williams Fork Formation are <br />lenticular and laterally discontinuous in the vicinity of the mines and are, therefore, not <br />significant as aquifers. <br />The permit area of the Meeker Area Mines is located within the drainage basins of Curtis Creek <br />and Archers Drew. Both of these streams are tributary to the White River. Curtis Creek is a <br />perennial stream with a drainage area of 18 square miles. The confluence of this stream with the <br />White River is located five miles south of the permit area and one mile upstream of Meeker, <br />Colorado. Elevations of the Curtis Creek Drainage Basin range from 8320 feet at its head water <br />in the Danforth Hills and Rattlesnake Mesa to 6280 feet at its confluence with the White River. <br />Archers Draw is located east of Curtis Creek and its waters are diverted into the Coal Creek <br />Mesa Irrigating Ditch. Archers Draw is an intermittent stream with a drainage area above the <br />Coal Creek Mesa Ditch of 5.3 square miles. The confluence of Archers Draw with this ditch is <br />located 1.7 miles south of the permit area. Elevations of the Archers Draw Drainage Basin range <br />from 8310 feet on Rattlesnake Mesa to 6560 feet at the Coal Creek Mesa Ditch. <br />Surface waters from both Curtis Creek and Archers Draw are used for irrigation and stock <br />watering. Curtis Creek has one stock pond and five irrigation storage reservoirs along its course. <br />In the permit area, Curtis Creek waters are diverted to flood irrigated lands of the Jensen Ranch. <br />The total acreage of the ranch is 3369 acres and the land is utilized for hay production and <br />forage. Approximately 2.5 miles downstream from the permit area is another large ranch, <br />totaling 2000 acres, with flood imgated, meadow acreage. <br />Archers Draw has aflood-irrigated ranch located in the area of its lower reaches totaling 4700 <br />acres. There are two irrigation ponds located along its course. <br />The climate of the area is characteristic of semi-arid steppe regions, and can be described as <br />having large fluctuations in daily temperature, a moderate amount of precipitation, low humidity, <br />and a Luge number of clear days. The average annual precipitation is approximately 16 inches. <br />Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year. The mean annual temperature is 40.8°F <br />at the mine site. Wrnd flow is predominantly from the southwest (down valley). <br />Soils in the vicinity of the Meeker Area Mines are of the Mollisol, Aridisol, and Entisol orders. <br />Soils are derived from colluvial and alluvial parent materials ranging from sandstones and shales <br />to gravel and cobbles. Soils on the steep sideslopes of the drainages within the permit area are <br />relatively shallow and weakly developed in contrast to the deep soils encountered in the drainage <br />bottoms and tce slopes. Salvageable topsoil ranges from 5 to 40 inches in depth. <br />Vegetation communities in the vicinity of the mine are present in response to a number of abiotic <br />factors. Communities identified include: sagebrush, mountain shrub, aspen, piiion juniper, and <br />meadow. Sagebrush communities occur along the flatter areas of the drainage bottoms. These <br />communities are found on deep soils, and their density increases with increased moisture <br />immediately adjacent to the drainages. Mountain shrub comprises the second largest community <br />type in the area, and is found on all aspects and topographic expressions, generally at higher <br />4 <br />