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Foidel Creek/diddle Creek Confluence <br />Ti•e a'levia; body at the ccn`..ee.,.e of Fcidel Creek ac.'. blidci~.;ree::. c...atdin^ f::,n~~ the County Road No. <br />33 crossing of `fiddle Creek, upstream on both Foidel and Middle Creeks, to the first Trout Creek irrigation <br />diversion ditch, does meet alluvial valley door criteria based upon existing flood irri~a[ion and a presumed <br />capabilih~ to support subirrigated vegetation. This area is also delineated on Map I ~ of the permit <br />application. PR-0~ proposes to approve undermining a portion of the Foidel Creek/Ntiddle Creek <br />Contluence AVF. This will occur at the very western edge of the portion of the AVF that is situated on <br />Foidel Creek. The majority of the undermining will be development (non-retreat room and pillar), with a <br />very limited amount of longwall mining. <br />AVF Determination - Neeative Determination <br />Foidel Creek <br />Previous to PR-03, an alluvial body along Foidel Creek in sections 2S, 29, 31 and 32, TSN R86W, was <br />determined not to be an AVF based on a finding of insufficient water to support flood irrigation, and a <br />determination [hat subirrigated areas were less than 10 acres in extent and supported species which were not <br />agriculturally useful. <br />Due to the significant expansion of mining operations proposed in the LOM revision application <br />(PR-Ol), the potential impacts to identified alluvial valley floors were reevaluated. Areas previously <br />determined by the Division to not meet alluvial valley floor criteria were no[ reexamined. As a result of <br />additional vegetation data and land use information submitted by the applicant and site visits made by <br />Division staff, however, certain lands previously identified as alluvial valley floors were found not to meet <br />AVF criteria. <br />Based on the limited extent of arable land and relatively high percentage of non-agriculturally useful species <br />as documented by species composition data included in the September 22, 1986 submittal, the Division <br />concluded that the area of subirrigated alluvium on lower Foidel Creek denoted as "Pasture 19" on <br />supplemental Map No. 1 is not an alluvial valley floor. The extent of farmable acreage would be 10 acres or <br />less. The areas are not presently and have no[ historically been farmed and evidence presented indicates that <br />farming is not typically practiced on similar parcels in the region. <br />During PR03 review, the Uivisiott determined [ha[ areas upstream of the Leiske ditch crossing of Foidel <br />Creek as shown on Map IS (Sections 14, 21, 22, 23, and 28, TAN, R86W) are no[ alluvial valley floors. This <br />determination was based on [he lack of sufficient water for flood irrigation, the lack of flood irrigation, the <br />small size of [he valley bottom and the narrow nature of the stream, and the lack of meaningful production <br />or cover differences between the creekside and upland vegetative communities. <br />Therefore, in summary, the Division finds that all valley bottom areas along Foidel Creek above the County <br />Road No. 33 crossing are not alluvial valley floors. <br />Ntiddle Creek <br />Prior to PR-03, no previous AVF determination had been made for areas above [he Foidel/Ntiddle Creek <br />confluence AVF on Ntiddle Creek as these areas were not proposed to be affected or impacted by the Foidel <br />Creek mine operation. During the PR-03 review process, the applicant submitted information to support [hat <br />C:1JHB\C820561PR05\PR05 FINDINGS 62800.doc <br />28 <br />