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Description of the Environment The Southfield Mine is located approximately 8 miles south of Florence, Colorado in Fremont County. The mine can be reached by driving south from Florence via Colorado Route 67 to Fremont county Route 15, then continuing on Route 15 for 4 miles to the mine entrance. The load-out is located 1 1/2 miles northwest of the town of Florence along Fremont County Road 79. The mine site can be located on the USGS 7.5 quadrangle map entitled, "Rockvale". Following is a brief description of the environment and of the operations and reclamation plans. More detailed information pertaining to a specific discipline, such as ground water hydrology, is found in this findings document within the specific discipline subsections under Section "B". History Extensive historic mining disturbances chazacterize the general azea of the Southfield Mine. In 1860 the first coal mine was opened in the northern portion of the Canon City Coal Field. Production areas spread through the central azea and into the southern portion of the coalfield in the eazly 1900's. Over 177 abandoned mines with 600 acres of existing associated surface disturbances have been identified by the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology's Inactive Mine Program. Topoeranhv The existing environment in the general azea of the Southfield Mine is one of an arid, steppe highland basin. The Canon City Coal Field/Basin lies in the transition zone between the foothills of the Wet Mountains and the eastern Colorado plains, ranging from 5,500 to 8,000 feet. The area can be chazacterized as a high plains mesa dipping gently to the east-northeast. The mesa is dissected by several northeast trending ephemeral drainages. To the west and southwest of the mesa aze the Wet Mountains, where the drainages have their headwaters. The Wet Mountain chain is fronted by a series of overthrust faults which results in pre-Cambrian materials unconformably overlying overturned sedimentary units. Erosion of the mountains has resulted in a pediment surface within the basin from 0 to 100 feet thick. The action of several ephemeral and some perennial streams has cut through the pediment surface, exposing the coal-bearing Vermejo Formation. This easily accessed coal has been extensively mined since the turn of the century leaving many unreclaimed spoils and waste piles. Additional information can be found in Section 2.04.3 "General Site Information" of the permit application. Geoloev Geological information is found in Sections 2.04.5 and 2.04.6, pages 1 through 30 of the permit application. Below is a summary of the geology for the Southfield Mine area. The mine plan azea is located along the east flank of the Wet Mountains adjacent to the axis of the north plunging Chandler Syncline. The syncline pazallels the trend of the Wet Mountain Southfield Mine Permit Renewa104 14 September 10, 2004