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EXHIBIT B <br />Site Description <br />The Robins Rock Pit is located at about 8,100 feet above sea level and just north of Conejos <br />County Road H, approximately 3 miles north of Mogote and slightly east. it is situated on the <br />east edge of a prominent mesa and is just northwest of an irrigated alfalfa field shown on the <br />accompanying photograph supplied by the NRCS office in La Zara, Colorado. The existing <br />vegetation is suitable for wild game such as deer, elk, and antelope, as well native range for <br />sheep and cattle.. Grazing on this particular area is somewhat limited due to low precipitation, 9 <br />inches annually, and sparse grass, which is mostly Indian ricegrass,winterfat, blue grama, <br />fourwing saltbrush, rabbit brush, and sand dropseed.. The USDA soil type for the area to be <br />mined is Travelers very stony loam which has a combined surface layer and subsoil that is <br />approximately 12 inches deep, and the substratum is a very stony loam approximately 4 inches <br />thick. The effective rooting depth is 10 to 20 inches. The area is dominated by rocky basaltic lava <br />outcrops which produce near vertical walls from 10 to 30 feet in height. The USDA soil <br />description is included herein. Some erosion and cliff wall failure has occurred and talus slopes <br />are evident at the base of the cliffs. The owner of the surface and subsurface in this area owns <br />and farms the alfalfa field immediately adjacent to the pit, and informs us that the irrigation <br />ditch which can be seen on the accompanying photograph ends at the pond in the southeast <br />corner of the proposed permit area. The pond is used to supply the center pivot sprinkler which <br />irrigates the alfalfa. Structures located within 200 feet of the proposed pit are shown on Exhibit <br />E Mining Plan map and include the Las Mesitas Ditch, an irrigation water storage pond, a 3 <br />strand barbed wire fence, and a pump and discharge pipeline within the storage pond. There are <br />no surface water streams on the proposed pit or running near the pit, and the depth to <br />groundwater is more than 20 feet at the lowest point in the area to be permitted. The Las <br />Mesitas Ditch is adjudicated for 40 cfs at the intake structure on the Conejos River, but the <br />headgate is more than six miles distant and flow at the proposed site is estimated to be no more <br />than 2 cfs. Annual Precipitation is normally less than 9 inches and any runoff from this area will <br />be intercepted by the Las Mesitas Ditch and the irrigation storage pond; therefore a silt fence <br />will be installed to prevent stormwater runoff from entering the ditch or pond. The prominent <br />defile in the cliff wall will be used as a livestock driveway after mining operations are complete <br />in that portion of the pit.