Laserfiche WebLink
110 Permit Application Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety <br />SITE DESCRIPTION - EXHIBIT B <br />BDM has prepared responses to each of the review standards in Section 6.3.2 in the <br />Construction Material Rules and Regulations. The review standard is stated followed by BDM's <br />response. <br />Rule: Items (A) through (C) below must be addressed to the extent necessary to demonstrate <br />compliance with the applicable performance standard requirements of Rule 3. At a minimum, <br />the Operator/Applicant shall include the following information: <br />(A) Rule: a description of the vegetation and soil characteristics in the area of the proposed <br />operation. <br />Response: Site vegetation is designated as a Rocky Mountain aspen forest and <br />woodland. Approximately 95 percent of the site is currently denuded of vegetation due to <br />historic removal of rock at the site. Landcover descriptions for the site are provided <br />below (NatureServe 2004). <br />The site has a somewhat closed canopy of trees, 5 to 20 meters tall, dominated by the <br />cold-deciduous, broad-leaved tree Populus tremuloides. Conifers that may be present <br />but never codominant include Abies concolor, Abies lasiocarpa, Picea engelmannii, <br />Picea pungens, Pinus ponderosa, and Pseudotsuga menziesii. Because of the open <br />growth form of Populus tremuloides, enough light can penetrate for lush understory <br />development. Depending on available soil moisture and other factors like disturbance, <br />the understory structure may be complex with multiple shrub and herbaceous layers, or <br />simple with just an herbaceous layer. The herbaceous layer may be dense or sparse, <br />dominated by graminoids or forbs. <br />Common shrubs include Acer glabrum, Amelanchier alnifolia, Artemisia tridentata, <br />Juniperus communis, Prunus virginiana, Rosa woodsii, Shepherdia canadensis, <br />Symphoricarpos oreophilus, and the dwarf-shrubs Mahonia repens and Vaccinium spp. <br />The herbaceous layers may be lush and diverse. Common graminoids may include <br />Bromus carinatus, Calamagrostis rubescens, Carex siccata (= Carex foenea), Carex <br />geyeri, Carex rossii, Elymus glaucus, Elymus trachycaulus, Festuca thurberi, and <br />Hesperostipa comata. Associated forbs may include Achillea millefolium, Eucephalus <br />engelmannii (= Aster engelmannii), Delphinium spp., Geranium viscosissimum, <br />Heracleum sphondylium, Ligusticum filicinum, Lupinus argenteus, Osmorhiza berteroi <br />Osmorhiza chilensis), Pteridium aquilinum, Rudbeckia occidentalis, Thalictrum fendleri, <br />Valeriana occidentalis, Wyethia amplexicaulis, and many others. Exotic grasses such as <br />the perennials Poa pratensis and Bromus inermis and the annual Bromus tectorum are <br />often common in disturbed areas. <br />Soil type is classified as a Bucklon-Inchau loam. The soil occurs on 25 to 50 percent <br />slopes and is well drained. Organic matter content of the surface horizon is four percent. <br />Clay makes up 20 to 30 percent of the soil matrix. Attachment 2 presents a Natural <br />Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) soil type description. The soil type is reported <br />to be between 15 and 36 inches thick; however, observations at the site indicate that soil <br />thickness is on the low end and may be less than is typical. <br />Tetra Tech February 2008