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• <br />3.4 Prime Farmland <br />The NRCS has determined that no prime farmland exists in Routt County because of cold <br />temperatures (cryic soils) and a limited, short growing season (SCS, 1980 and 1982). <br />Formal letters from SCS (NRCS), expressing a negative determination of prime farmland <br />status for any lands in Routt County, have been included in previous Seneca II, Seneca II- <br />W, and Yoast Mine permit documents and remain on file. A previous negative <br />determination of prime farmland status was received from the SCS (NRCS) State Office in <br />Denver on September 9, 1992. This document states that no prime farmland occurs in <br />Routt County (SCS, 1992). <br />One of the NRCS Order 2 map units (Map Unit 50C, Lintim loam — formerly Cochetopa — 3 <br />to 12% slopes), located on the west and south sides of the Soils Study Area in areas <br />currently listed as not- to -be- affected, is considered "Farmland of Statewide Importance" <br />(NRCS, 2008). Four small delineations of Map Unit 50C are present in the southern and <br />NRCS Order 2 portions of the Soils Study Area and total approximately 152 acres. <br />3.5 Hydric Soils <br />One of soil map units on the Soils Study Area is considered a " Hydric Soil' based on NRCS <br />information (NRCS, 1998). Map Unit AW is considered a hydric soil. The map unit is <br />• called "Alluvial Lands, undifferentiated" in the Seneca II Mine soil survey and has been <br />changed from "Aquents and Aquolls" to "Veneable loam, 0 to 5% slopes" in the current <br />Routt County Order 2 soil survey. This is based on a review of relevant NRCS information <br />(NRCS, 1990). <br />In addition, small areas of soil inclusions, if present, in a few of the map units are <br />considered "hydric inclusions" (Fulton, 1989; and NRCS, 1998). Small included areas of <br />"springs and streams ", if and where present, in Map Unit 5A (Dresher very fine sandy loam, <br />formerly Spicerton, 1 to 6% slopes), Map Unit 06B (Zoltay loam, 0 to 5% slopes), Map Unit <br />27A (Middlecreek loam, formerly Silas, 1 to 10% slopes), and Map Unit 110 (Elkhead clay <br />loam, formerly Polich Variant, 0 to 5% slopes), as well as "oxbows and depressions ", if and <br />where present, in Map Unit 52A (Menbar loam, 0 to 3% slopes) are considered "hydric <br />inclusions" (Fulton, 1989; and Wettstein, 1993). <br />4.0 REFERENCES <br />Brown, Sandy. 2008. Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (CDRMS, <br />formerly CDMG). Discussion with Jim Nyenhuis regarding soil sampling intensity for <br />Peabody Sage Creek Mine project (formerly Cow Camp project). September 18, 2008. <br />• 15 <br />