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The mining area was located near a ridgetop. Drainages flowed from this area <br />into Grassy Creek, Coal View Gulch, and several unnamed ephemeral drainages. <br />All surface drainage eventually flows to the Yampa River. With the exception <br />of the Yampa River, all drainages are ephemeral and flow primarily in response <br />to snowmelt and heavy precipitation events. <br />Within the vicinity of the mine, ground water exists in both bedrock and <br />alluvial aquifers. Major bedrock aquifers in the vicinity are the Twentymile <br />sandstone and the Trout Creek sandstone. The major alluvial aquifer in the <br />area is associated with the Yampa River. A number of perched aquifers of a <br />discontinuous nature have been located in the area. <br />The climate of the area is characteristic of semi-arid steppe regions, and can <br />be described as having large fluctuations in daily temperature, a moderate <br />amount of precipitation, low humidity, and a large number of clear days. The <br />average annual precipitation is approximately 15 inches. Precipitation is <br />evenly distributed throughout the year. The mean annual temperature is 41.8°F <br />in Hayden, Colorado. Wind flow is predominantly from the east-southeast <br />(down-valley). The growing season ranges from 60 to 70 days in length. <br />Soils in the vicinity of the mine were classified in the Mollisol and Entisol <br />orders. Soil surface horizons were generally loamy or sandy loam and varied <br />from 16 to 60 inches in depth. Steep south and east facing slopes within the <br />permit area had more weakly developed and shallow soils, with parent material <br />at between 10 and 30 inches. <br />Vegetation communities in the vicinity of the mine are present in response to <br />a number of abiotic factors such as soil depth and type, aspect, elevation, <br />and availability of moisture. Communities identified include <br />sagebrush/grassland, two types of mountain shrub, aspen, Douglas fir, <br />boxelder, grassland, wet meadow, and cottonwood. <br />DESCRIPTION OF THE RECLAMATION PLAN <br />The permit area for the Meadows No. 1 mine contains 199 acres of which 123 <br />acres were disturbed. When operating, the Meadows No. 1 mine was a surface <br />area-strip mine which produced a maximum of 120,000 tons per year. The coal <br />mined was primarily that of the Pinnacle seam within the Iles Formation, with <br />some additional salvage of "rider" seams exposed during overburden removal <br />activities. <br />Currently the mine is undergoing permanent reclamation. Therefore no mining <br />activities or additional disturbance are proposed under this permit term. <br />Commencing in 1983 the pit area was backfilled, graded, re-top soiled, seeded <br />and mulched. In addition the haul road has been decommissioned to its <br />post-mining land use configuration as approved by the Division. The pit area <br />has undergone Phase I bond release whereby 60% of the bond liability was <br />released. The haul road has undergone Phase II bond release whereby 70% of <br />the bond liability was released. <br />During this renewal permit term Sun Coal Co. anticipates only activities <br />occurring on site relating to revegetation monitoring and augmentation, <br />routine maintenance of sediment control facilities, and the other activities <br />as required to further reclamation success. <br />-4- <br />