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DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMEI\"T <br />The Canadian Strip Mine is in the North Park Basin in north central Colorado. North Park <br />is a high inter-montane basin bounded by the mountains of the Medicine Bow Range to the <br />east and the Rabbit Ears Range to the west and south. The mine is 9 miles east of Walden <br />in Jackson County. The elevation of the mine is about 8400 feet. <br />Geology <br />The North Park region has been characterized as a broad synclinal basin in which there are <br />many local synclinal/anticline structures. Recent mining has taken place in the eastern <br />portion of North Park in an area of tightly compressed anticlinal and synclinal geologic <br />structures. <br />The coal seam mined by the Canadian Strip Mine is the Sudduth Coal. The seam varies <br />from 10 to 23 feet thick at the site and is within the Tertiary Coalmont Formation. The <br />mine is on the eastern flank of a local anticline. The beds are steeply dipping at the <br />location of the mine and occur at an angle between 28 and 34 degrees. <br />Mining progressed south along the eastern flank of the McCallum Anticline toward the nose <br />of this anticline. The applicant has provided both a general description of the regional <br />geology and a detailed analysis of the physical and chemical characteristics of strata <br />disturbed at the site in Section 2.04.7 and Appendix C of the original permit application. <br />Surface Water <br />The Slurco, Inc., Canadian Strip Mine is in North Park basin which forms a drainage basin. <br />Most runoff from the basin originates from snowmelt on the forested slopes of the <br />surrounding mountains. The North Platte River is the major river of the region. Two major <br />tributaries of the North Platte River are within three miles of the mine site; the Michigan <br />and Canadian Rivers. All the mine activities occur within the watershed of Bolton Draw, <br />which is tributary to the Canadian River. Bolton Draw is an ephemeral drainage that <br />receives varying amounts of water from trans-basin diversion of Michigan River water <br />through Spear Ditch from May through July. Otherwise, flows in Bolton Draw occur <br />primarily from snowmelt runoff. <br />Information on surface water hydrology may be found in Appendix C, Volumes I and II of <br />the permit renewal application. <br />Canadian Strip Mine, C-81-026 6 July 31, 1992 <br />