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line. The outcrop line of the coal as well as the East Salt Creek drainage, run roughly north- <br />south in the vicinity of the permit area. Recharge to the Cameo coal seam occurs in an area <br />where the coal seam subcrops in the East Salt Creek alluvium approximately two miles north of <br />the McClane Canyon Mine permit area. The subcrop of the coal seam along East Salt Creek was <br />created as the stream gradually cut through the sedimentary strata to the point where the stream <br />channel intersected the Cameo coal seam. The underground workings of the McClane Canyon <br />Mine extend roughly eastward into the Cameo seam from a point where the coal seam outcrops <br />in McClane Canyon. McClane Canyon is a small tributary canyon to the East Salt Creek <br />drainage. In addition to the saturated portions of the Cameo seam, some local lenticular strata <br />of limited extent situated above the Cameo seam have been found to contain ground water <br />perched within the strata. Saturation of the Cameo seam occurs at about 5580 ft. elevation. <br />East Salt Creek is an intermittent stream which is tributary to the Colorado River. The East Salt <br />Creek Valley has been designated as an alluvial valley floor (AVF), with both undeveloped <br />rangeland and irrigated hayland mapped on the AVF in the vicinity of the mine. Existing and <br />proposed surface disturbances associated with the mine are located in the McClane Canyon <br />drainage basin upstream from the AVF boundary, with the exception of office trailer facilities, <br />the lower portion of the access road, and the proposed McClane to Munger haul road, which are <br />situated within the boundaries of the AVF. <br />The climate in the region is semi-arid. Prevailing winds at or near ground level at the mine are <br />dictated by the orientation of the deeply incised McClane Canyon. The annual average <br />precipitation within the permit area increases with elevation from approximately 10 inches along <br />East Salt Creek, up to 15" oo the ridges above 7000 feet. <br />Soils in the permit area are well drained to excessively well drained and have formed in alluvial <br />or colluvial sediments. Soils are deepest in the valley bottoms and become shallower along the <br />canyon sideslopes where they intersperse with bare rock. Most of the soils are rated fair to good <br />as sources of topsoil for reclamation. Limitations exist for subsoils in the alluvial deposits along <br />valley bottoms due to high sodium content. <br />Vegetation types within and adjacent to the permit area are broadly classified as lower montane. <br />Three primary vegetation types occur in the permit and adjacent area. A greasewood shrubland <br />type occupies the flat terrain along the East Salt Creek drainage where soils are deep, well <br />drained and often very sodic and moderately saline. Shadscale shrubland borders the greasewood <br />shrubland along the dry, steep, south facing slopes in the shallower soils which are interspersed <br />with rock outcrops. Juniper woodland is found along the ridge tops and steep north and west <br />facing slopes of shallow soils and rock outcrops. These vegetation types are common to western <br />Colorado and Utah. <br />Curtent and historical land use within the permit area is livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. <br />Cattle are run seasonally within the rangelands and grazeable woodlands. <br />7 <br />