2010-05-25_REVISION - C1981008 (3)

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United States Department of Agriculture o NRCS Natural Resowees ConservatIm Service Jim Boyd, Resource Consenmdonist P. O. Box 29 Norwood, CO 81423 jim.boyd@co.usda9ov 970327- 4245-0FFICE 970327 -4.A7 -FAX August 4, 2009 Dan Mathews Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety 101 S. 3" Street, Suite 301 Grand Junction, 00 81501 NO k.. This letter is to further clarify our prime farmland soils designations for the New Horizon #2 Mina The NRCS definition of prime farmland is as follows: "Prime farmland, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is land that has the belt combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and is available for these uses. It could be cultivated land, pastureland, forestland, or other land, but it is not urban or built -up land or water areas. The soil qualities, growing season, and moisture supply are those needed for the soil to economically produce sustained high yields of crops when proper management, including water management, and acceptable farming methods are applied In general, prime farmland has an adequate and dependable supply ofmoisture from precipitation or irrigation, a fa-v rable temperature and growing season, acceptable acidity or alkalinity, an acceptable salt and sodium content, and few or no rocks. It is permeable to water and air. It is not excessively erodible or saturated with water for long periods, and it either is not frequently flooded during the stowing season or is protected from flooding. Slopes range mainly from 0 to 6 percent.° The Morgan fields that NRCS designated as prime farmland meet the soil criteria.in the definition, and have a history of irrigation, as evident from aerial photography. All prime farmlands are subject to water availability, and we suppose that the historic irrigation on the Morgan property was "adequate and dependable" to produce a cop economically. The NRCS believes that all areas of prime farmland soils an the mine property should be reclaimed using the special soil handling procedures we have worked on together for the past 2 years. I9 during reclamation, there are portions of these prime farmland soils where adequate irrigation water is not available to grow a crop, then technically they lose their prime farmland status. In this situation, it is unrealistic for these areas to be held to a cropland production goal. Altematively, the reclaimed vegetative community could be a mixture of drought tolerant grasses and forts, and designated as dryland pastures It; at a latter date, adequate irrigation water becomes available for these lands they would again be considered prime farmland, particularly since the soils have been reclaimed accordingly. Sincerely, Jim Boyd, NRCS Resource Conservationist The N.huat Resowee Consarwtlw, sefvke works in padmnhip wan the American Paopb to earrsarw and sustain natural nocurcos on pdvde Isnda. An Equal Opp Uft Ihovldw wW Empbysr. (Revised Sept 09) 2.04.3 -20