GENERAL47948

• Permit No: C1981013
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 12/15/1982
• Doc Name: Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance
• Permit Index Doc Type: Findings
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

-15-
II. Land Use - Rules 2.04.3, 2.05.5, and 4.16

Information on pre-mining and post-mining land use can be found in the
application on pages 2.04-1 through 2.04-3, 2.05-38 through 2.05-39, and
Exhibit 4 of Volume I, and in the CF&I response of August 20, 1982 to the
Draft Findings document. This information has been reviewed for compliance by
the Division and deficiencies are discussed below.
On Map 4, Land Use, two categories of use are depicted. These categories are
irrigated farmland and grazing. A third category which is discussed in the
application and which can easily be verified in the field is that of fish and
wildlife habitat. Therefore, the Division acknowledges three types of land
use at the mine; cropland, rangeland and wildlife habitat. A small portion of
surface disturbance at the mine occurs in the area designated as cropland.
This disturbance consists of a sediment pond, amine water intake pond, and a
pump house. Despite confirmation in the permit application that the above
facilities occur in an area identified as "irrigated farmland" (Map 4), "flood
irrigated agriculture" (Map 8), and "irrigated hayland" (Exhibit 4) the
applicant has proposed to reclaim these areas as pastureland. Division staff
who have visited the mine site this fall indicate that grass hay was harvested
from the area immediately surrounding the sediment pond.
The applicant has not met the regulatory requirements for changing the
post-mining land use from cropland to pastureland. Therefore, the area in
question is to be reclaimed consistent with the pre-mining land use of
cropland. Reclamation to cropland in this case varies only slightly from
reclamation to pastureland.
In areas to be reclaimed as cropland the operator is less constrained in the
ability to use introduced species in the cropland seed mix. In addition, as
the applicant noted, shrubs and fortis need not be planted, and revegetation
success is evaluated on the basis of production only.
In light of the above facts, the following stipulation is required in order to
comply with Rule 4.15.9:
Stipulation No. 1
THE PERMITTEE MUST RECLAIM THE AREAS OF SEDIMENT POND iii, THE WATER
INTAKE POND, AND THE PUMP STATION TO CROPLAND CONSISTENT WITH THE
IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING AREA, EXCLUDING THE ACTIVE STREAM CHANNEL. A
SEED MIX REFLECTING SPECIES CURRENTLY IN USE IN THE IRRIGATED HAYLAND
MUST BE SUBMITTED FOR DIVISION APPROVAL WITHIN 60 DAYS OF PERMIT
ISSUANCE. THE INFORMATION IS TO 8E SUBMITTED AS A REVISION TO THE
PERMIT.
IN ADDITION, PRODUCTIVITY FIGURES IN POUNDS PER ACRE FROM THE
IMMEDIATELY AD,]ACENT IRRIGATED HAYLAND AREA MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE
DIVISION EVERY YEAR FOR THE FIVE YEARS OF THE PERMIT TERM, THIS FIVE
YEAR PRODUCTIVITY DATA BASE WILL BE USED IN SETTING REVEGETATION GOALS
FOR CROPLAND. THE FIRST DATA IS DUE DECEMBER 31, 1984. SUBSEQUENT DATA
WILL BE DUE AT THE END OF EACH CALENDAR YEAR.