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.. ~.~• Unlled Slates ~~~ 1A1~ Depanmenl of Conservallon 701 Camino del ~Fiioi ~~f Aprlcullura Servlce Durango, Colorado 81301 I March 31, 1986 Tim Myers Blue Flame Coal Company Durango, Colorado 81301 ~ Dear Tim: I examined the soil and vegetation at the mine site with you on March 26, 1966. The two areas examined were the brushy hillside where the benches and mine shafts are, and the meadow area in the valley bottom. In the disturbed areas where the benches are, past mining - activity has mixed the soils and mine waste with no effort to salvage topsoil. The average annual precipitation is about 20 inches. The average annual air temperature is about 42 degrees and the frost free i season is about 90 days at the site. The hillside has a northwest aspect. I The soil on the brushy hillside is Zau stony loam on about 40 percent slope. It is classified as a fine, mixed Typic Argiboroll. Atypical) pedon description follows. • 0 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown stony loam 8 to 13 inches; brown clay loam 13 to 32 inches; brown and yellowish brown clay i 32, to 40 inches; brown and yellowish brown clay loam 40 inches; weathered sandstone and shale i The Zau soil has a pFl of 7.2 and conductivity of less than 2.0. It is suitable for use as topsoil in reclamation of the site. The meadow area in the valley bottom is the Big Blue clay loam on about 1 percent slope. It is classified as a fine, montmorillontic, (calcareous), frigid Fluvaquentic Haplaquoll. It has a high watertable most of the year that rises to within 18 inches of the surface. A typical pedon of Big Blue follows. 0 to 4 inches; very dark gray clay loam 4 to 10 inches; gray silty clay loam 10 to 60 inches; gray silty clay. This layer has glayed colors resulting from poor drainage. The Big Blue soil has a pii of 8.0 in the surface and is suitable for plant growth. • O Tne Spd Conseroalion Servlce U is an span Cy of Ike D open man) of Aq~ic uli ure