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<br />_l2_ <br />Description of the Environment <br /> <br />The mine site is located in a plateau area. The elevation of the mine surface <br />facilities range from 7,000 to 7,600 feet. Land use in the area consists of <br />cropland, rangeland, pastureland and wildlife habitat. Agriculture is <br />practiced in the river valley and usually consists of hay production. Cattle <br />are grazed in the area year round. A large number of large and small mammals, <br />birds, fish and amphibians, and reptiles are permanent or temporary residents <br />of the area. Of special concern are Golden Eagles which breed and winter in <br />this area. <br />The Maxwell Mine is located in the western limb of the Raton Basin. The Raton <br />Basin is a broad, asymmetric syncline whose axis trends north and south. All <br />mining activities occur in the Raton Formation where the Maxwell Seam is the <br />coal being mined. The Poison Canyon formation unconformably overlies the <br />Raton and has a thickness of approximately 200 feet in the mine area. It <br />occurs as discontinuous outcrops above 8,000 feet. Unconsolidated Quarternary <br />alluvial and colluvial deposits overlie the Raton Formation in the low lying <br />areas. <br />The Raton Formation dips approximately 2 degrees to the east-northeast. The <br />permit area contains one steep, normal fault trending east-northeast with <br />vertical displacement of approximately 25 feet. <br />The Maxwell Seam lies from 450 to 900 feet below the surface. Immediately <br />above the coal are interbedded sandstone, siltstone, and shale. Interbedded <br />sandstone, shale, and siltstone also underlie the seam. <br />Surface facilities for the mine are situated on the south side of the <br />Purgatoire River. Underground development began approximately 2,200 feet <br />south of the river and currently extend to the south 1,000 feet. Before <br />operations were suspended, work underground primarily concentrated on the <br />development of mains. The mine plan on Map 3 of the application shows the <br />development of 2 mains that run roughly parallel to the river and 3 that run <br />perpendicular to and under the river will be the extent of mining that occurs <br />during the 5-year permit term. <br />The Purgatoire alluvium is an aquifer of local significance. <br />The rack strata in the area contain ground water, but are not a significant <br />source of water in the area. The Purgatoire River originates several miles <br />west of the mine in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. It flows into the <br />Arkansas River near Las Animas, Colorado, approximately 120 miles northeast of <br />the mine. <br />Portions of the Apache Canyon, Santistevan Canyon, Net Canyon, and Ciruela <br />Canyon drainages as well as four other small unnamed drainages are found <br />within the permit area. These basins contain intermittent and ephemeral <br />streams. All of these streams are tributary to the Purgatoire River which is <br />perennial. <br />The region is characterized by a semi-arid climate. The prevailing wind is <br />from the southwest and the average annual precipitation is 16.9 inches. The <br />length of the growing season in the area varies from 90 to 110 days. <br />i <br />