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ALLUVIAL VALLEY FLOOR DETERMINATION <br />MCCLANE CANYON MINE <br />COAL MINE WASTE PILE <br />GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO <br />A. No streamlaid deposits meeting pertinent size criteria .... [as defined in section <br />(i)(A)]. <br />B. There is insufficient water available [for agriculture]... <br />C. The area is generally overlain by a thin veneer of colluvial deposits composed <br />chiefly of debris from sheet erosion, ... unconsolidated runoff or slope wash, <br />... talus, other mass movement accumulation, and wind blown deposits." <br />Field Investigation <br />The investigation area geology was mapped during two visits during October and <br />November, 2009 and included inspection of the various surficial deposits for grain size, <br />sorting, lithology, and stratification. The site geomorphology was considered during field <br />mapping and delineation of the Quaternary age deposits. The geology was mapped on an <br />air photo base at an approximate scale of about 1 inch equals 400 feet. Photographs of <br />selected features are included in the photo log (Appendix A). Historical agricultural- <br />related features were noted and their location recorded with a handheld global positioning <br />system (GPS) unit. Geologic logs of wells near or within the investigation area were <br />reviewed (Appendix B). <br />Agricultural Practices <br />As reported in Conner (2009), a water diversion system was constructed in the late <br />1800s at the constriction of East Salt Creek (see Geology section for more detail). The <br />purpose of the structure was to divert water from East Salt Creek to a ditch that originated <br />below the structure (Figure 2). The ditch was installed to provide water for growing oats <br />on fields located lower in the valley, but the ditch never operated because sediment filled <br />the diversion structure during the first spring. After that event, the builders abandoned <br />the structure and ditch. Remnants of the former diversion structure are still visible, but <br />are not functional (Photos 1 and 2). The abandoned ditch is visible below the diversion <br />structure and can be traced through the area and on to the south (Photo 3; Figure 2). <br />There are no indications that the diverted water was to be used within the investigation <br />area or that the investigation area has ever been cultivated. The investigation area <br />appears to have occasionally been used for grazing of natural vegetation. <br />2 <br />ERO <br />Resources <br />Corporation