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flood imgation or subirrigation of hay or other field crops. However, based <br />upon information included in the permit application (including mapping of <br />alluvial deposits, agricultural fields located below the rail loop which maybe <br />subirrigated, and alluvial waters from Dry Creek apparently being used to <br />irrigate hay fields downstream) and previous findings by the Division for the <br />Seneca II-W Mine concerning Dry Creek; those portions of Dry Creek mapped <br />as alluvial deposits will continue to be designated as part of the Dry Creek <br />alluvial valley floor. <br />The loadout has existed on the Dry Creek valley floor since early 1978 and <br />was previously permitted by the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Division. <br />The area of the valley floor affected by the disturbance comprises <br />approximately 4% of the area of unconsolidated alluvial deposits in the valley. <br />None of the disturbance impinges upon the area of imgated agriculture <br />indicated by the applicant. No further disturbance is planned for this <br />operation. Because of the small area involved and because the disturbance is <br />contained with a sediment control system, there will be no significant effect of <br />the operation on the integrity of surrounding agricultural activity. <br />Impacts on surface water quality due disturbances at the loadout will be <br />minimal due to the size of the permit area with respect to the surface area <br />drained by Dry Creek. Furthermore, data provided by the applicant indicates <br />that coal stockpiled at the loadout does not contain any chemical constituents <br />at high enough concentrations to be of concern with respect to contamination <br />of surface water. Surface water effects will be monitored during and after <br />mining by surface monitoring stations on Dry Creek upstream and <br />downstream of the disturbance to verify this conclusion. <br />Impacts on ground water due to disturbance at the loadout could result from <br />leaching of stockpiled coal and its eventual percolation into the alluvial <br />ground water. This percolation would be expected to be minimized as a result <br />of the degree of compaction, which would be expected to result from the use <br />of heavy equipment at the loadout (increased compaction of the surface <br />decreases the permeability of the surface material causing most of the <br />precipitation to run off). The potential for degradation would also be expected <br />to be minimal due to the relatively low concentrations of contaminants, as <br />indicated by coal analyses. <br />In conclusion, the Division makes the following findings: <br />The Division finds that activities proposed by the applicant will not interrupt, <br />discontinue or preclude farming on the alluvial valley floors that are or could <br />be imgated or naturally subimgated by Dry Creek (4.24.3(1)). The Division <br />also finds that the proposed activities will not materially damage the quantity <br />or quality of water in the surface or ground water systems as described above <br />in the summary section of this document and, in addition, these activities will <br />26 <br />