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,. ;~ T NT R!7 nITCTT nN ARCO Coal Company, a division of Atlantic Richfield Company, is proposing to open the Mt. Gunnison bl underground coal mine, which will be located approximately 10 miles Northeast of Paonia on Colorado State Highway No. 1.33. The mine portal facilities will be located on the South side of the North Fork of the Gunnison River at an elevation of 6,450 feet. The eastern and western extremities of the Mt. Gunnison H1 Mine permit area are bounded closely by Sylvester Gulch and Gribble Gulch, respectively, and the northern extremity of the permit area is bounded by the North Fork of the Gunnison River. The southern boundary of the permit area is located approximately one mile north of the Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek. The general area in which the mine is located is characterized by a semiarid environment of steeply sloping mountains covered primarily with tall shrub vegetation, particularly oakbrush and serviceberry, The area is currently used for grazing by domestic livestock(cattle and sheep) and wildlife (deer and elk). Recreational activities such a big game hunting also occur here. The tft. Gunnison No. 1 Mine permit area is drained by the North Fork of the Gunnison River, which is part of the Colorado River drainage basin. Slopes range from 0 to 60 percent on the permit area, and elevations range from about 5,900 feet at Somerset to approximately 8,000 feet at the southern extremity of the permit area. The general direction of mining will be southward to extract coal from the f-seam. The coal will move via conveyor belts from portal to breaker to silo, then across the river to a railroad loadout station where it will be loaded onto trains for shipment to market. The ultimate size for the Mt. Gunnison kl Mine is approximately 2.8 million tons per year, and it is estimated by ARCO that the production buildup to this level is expected to cover a period of ten years, contingent upon coal sales. The initial start-up extraction rate will be approximately 250,000 tons per year. Room and pillar and possibly Ionowall mining methods are planned far use in the Mt. Gunnison ~1 Mine. Permanent reclamation of the mine surface facilities site and other. disturbed areas will commence upon termination of mining activities, with the exception of some areas which will be reclaimed incrementally during the operation as suitable areas become available, such as the initial and upper waste rock piles. The estimated duration of the entire life of mine operation is approximately 40 years. During reclamation, the mine portals eai11 be sealed, surface facilities removed, and the entire disturbed area will be returned to approximate original contour, with the exception of the waste rock piles. The area will then be smooth graded, and compacted areas will be ripped or scarified to eliminate slippage surfaces, establishing a suitable bond r."or the overlying seedbed material. Topsoil, which has been salvaged during construction of the surface facilities, will ce redistributed ever the disturbed area. Drainace ccatrcl ..-_:_ be retaineE until the revegetation operation is uncle n,~ay. :c_'lcadne ~.._ distribution o` toasoil and _°inal Grading, the r,ewlu shaped s___'s,.~ .,___ .,_ __ =red for planing. Sur."ace preparation will loosen and roughen the surface by discing, harrowing, or dragging. Various conditioners and neutralizers may be used to modify the seedbed conditions to ensure successful establishment of a vegetative cover. Finally,