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Vegetation <br />Two plant communities, big sagebrush and alkali sagebrush, were located within the permit <br />area. Big sagebrush communities are found on the south and southwest facing slopes, <br />whereas the alkali sagebrush communities are found on north and northeast facing slopes. <br />Reference areas, one for each community type, will be used for evaluation of revegetation <br />success. <br />Baseline vegetation information for the Canadian Strip Mine is presented in Section 2.04.10 <br />of Volume I and Appendix F of volume II of the original permit document. Information <br />pertaining to the revegetation plan is presented in Section 2.05.4 of Volume I and Exhibit <br />I of Volume III. <br />Water Rights and Replacement <br />Within Bolton Draw lies an adjudicated surface water right. This right, known as the Bolton <br />Ditch, owned by the Noffsinger Ranch, is in NW 1/4 of the NE 1/2 of Section 11, TSN, <br />R78W. Filed under Case No. W-846, this ditch right bears an appropriation of 15 cfs. Yet, <br />records show the average diversion to be 2-5 cfs. Surface water storage at the mine site <br />detains approximately 3% of the surface water of the Bolton Draw watershed. If all this <br />water would be lost to the surface water system, it is highly unlikely that any measurable <br />diminution of flow will occur in Bolton Ditch. <br />One registered well is near the Canadian Strip Mine. This well, belonging to Kerr Coal <br />Company, is in the SE 1/4 of Section 35, T9N, R78W. Filed under Permit No. 0X53-F, <br />this well produces water from the lower Coalmont Formation. For two reasons, any impact <br />on quantity or quality of the water from this well, due to operations at the Canadian Strip <br />Mine, is unlikely. First, the well lies next to the pit operations of the Kerr Strip Mine, which <br />is a disturbance several times greater in size than that at the Canadian Strip Mine, and any <br />effect would be more likely to be caused by Kerr Coal Company operations. Second, due <br />to very low transmissivities and low hydraulic communication between strata, it is unlikely <br />that any significant recharge occurs within the Canadian Strip It-line affected areas. <br />Water rights information can be found on page 78 of the permit application. <br />Canadian Strip Mine, C-81-026 12 July 31, 1992 <br />