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EXHIBIT - B Site Description This safety project site lies on a high ridge southerly of the Big Sandy Creek drainage basin some five miles south-east of Ramah, Colorado. The upland portion of the surrounding area has historically been used primarily as rangeland. Few roads cross the general area, Simla Highway, a primary north-south road falls immediately adjacent to the site on the east side. The area exhibits the general characteristics of the Truckton soil series. No streams rivers or other major waterways cross the area and because the location is near the top of a hill only small amounts of runoff water are present. A small detention pond has been established in the bottom of the existing operation to catch the minimal amounts of water that allows the silt to settle and the water to be released down hill in historic flows. Ground water levels are well below the floor of the mining area. The soil type found at this site is Truckton-Bresser Complex: This deep, well drained soil formed in mixed alluvium and wind-laid materials on uplands. Elevation ranges from 5,500 to 6,500 feet. The average annual precipitation is about 15 inches, the average annual air temperature about 48 degrees F, and the average frost- free period is about 140 days. Typically, the surface layer is grayish brown sandy loam about 5 inches thick. The subsoil is dark grayish brown about 31 inches thick. The substratum is light yellowish brown loamy coarse sand to a depth of 60 inches or more. Included with this soil in mapping are small areas of Bresser sandy loam, 3 to 5 percent slopes; Olney sandy loam, 3 to 5 percent slopes; Voma sandy loam, 3 to 9 percent slopes; and Fort Collins loam, 3 to 8 percent slopes. Permeability of this Bresser soil is moderate. Effective rooting depth is 60 inches or more. Available water capacity is moderate. Organic matter content of the surface layer is medium. Surface runoff is slow to medium, and the hazards of erosion and soil blowing are moderate. ~~ Most areas of this soil type are used for range, but some areas on the most gentle slopes are cultivated. Wheat is the main crop, but some sorghum is also grown.