GENERAL47107 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

confluence of Foidel and Middle Creek, and on Trout Creek from its confluence with Middle Creek downstream to the Yampa River. Permit Revision No. 3 declassified portions of Foidel and Middle creeks previously classified as AVF's. Detailed discussion concerning alluvial valley floors can be found in Section B, part XVIII of this document as well as Exhibit 7j of the permit. The local climate is semi-arid with a mean annual precipitation of 14.6 inches. Approximately 45 percent of this precipitation occurs during the growing season of April though September. High temperatures generally range from 70-80°F in the summer months to below freezing in the winter months. Normally, a significant snowpack resides on the ground for 4-5 months during the winter. Two broadly classified soil complexes exist within the permit area. These are Typic Paleoborolls - Borollic Camborthids and Argic Cryoborolls- Cryic Paleoborolls. However, prior to mining, the Typic Paleoborolls - Borollic Camborthids soils coveted the disturbed azea. They occur primarily on uplands and aze formed in materials weathered in place from soft shale. These clayey soils aze moderately deep to deep, well drained and usually contain less than 35 percent rock fragments. Permeability is slow, shrink-swell potential is high and potential frost action is moderate to high. These soils are used for rangeland, non-irrigated cropland, and irrigated hay and pastureland. Vegetation in the vicinity of the mine is characterized by four major communities: grassland, mountain shrub, big sagebrush, and cropland; and by two sub-types: aspen and mountain shrub-rock outcrop. Within the Foidel Creek Mine disturbed azea, the prominent vegetation types prior to disturbance were big sagebrush and cropland.(dryland small grains). Numerous wildlife species inhabit the general azea. The most predominant aze elk, mule deer and Columbian Sharptail grouse. Other wildlife species include: black beaz, cougaz, rabbit, coyote, bobcat, red fox, rodents, bats, skunks, waterfowl, amphibians and reptiles. Two golden eagle nests are located on sandstone cliffs adjacent to the disturbed azea within the pemrit boundary. There is critical winter habitat for elk, an elk migration corridor and elk calving Bounds and critical sage grouse habitat within and adjacent to the permit azea. Sage grouse critical habitat is located outside of the disturbed area. Cultural and historic resources within the permit azea include three historic sites and one prehistoric or protohistoric site. Two of the historic sites aze undistinguished homesteads with no important architectural features and which are not associated with persons important in history. The other historic site, the Foidel Canyon Schoolhouse, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is located in the general area of the main facilities along Foidel Creek. It will not be undermined or subsided and is protected appropriately. The prehistoric site (SRT345) is a rock art site located on the outcrop of the Twentymile Sandstone duectly north of the main mine facility azea. Mining approved under PR-02 (Southwest Mining District) undermined and subsided SRT345. Stipulation No. 33 was attached to the PR-02 approval and Twentymile Coal Company took appropriate measures, as determined by the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM), prior to undermining this site. Mitigation measures required by the BLM involved extensive reseazch and documentation of this site. The site has since been destroyed by subsidence and subsequent rockfall. Pre-mining and post-mining land uses within the permit azea aze pastureland and rangeland. Some of the surface was previously disturbed by surface mining methods under Mine No. 1, Mine No. 2, and Eckman Park Mine (C-81-071) and Energy Mine No. 3 (C-84-062).