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X. Operations on Alluvial Va11e~Floors <br />A. The Division has determined that there are no alluvial valley floors along Tuttle or <br />Calamity Draws by definition. Geomorphically, these draws aze located in uplands <br />several miles northeast of the San Miguel River. The uplands are overlain by less than <br />ten feet of unconsolidated material, which has been classified as aeolian and sheet <br />wash material. (The depths of unconsolidated material aze documented in Appendix <br />6-1.) These draws would only have intermittent flow if it were not for imgation return <br />flows and the azeas aze not naturally subirrigated. <br />These areas aze flood-imgated by waters acquired from a headgate on the San Miguel <br />River, located approximately 15 miles upstream. San Miguel River water quality <br />(TDS of 180 mg/1) is faz better than that found in either Tuttle (TDS of 1200 mg/1) or <br />Calamity Draws (TDS of 1950 mg/1). Water from Tuttle or Calamity Draws could not <br />be used for agriculture without very controlled management. <br />The San Miguel River could support several potential alluvial valley floors. However, <br />since the mine areas are two-and-a-half to three miles upstream, the distance <br />sepazating the mine from the river is sufficient to mitigate any impacts. In addition, <br />the amount of flow contributed by Tuttle Draw and Calamity Draw to the San Miguel <br />River is very small (0.4 percent of annual mean flow at Uravan). Therefore, the San <br />Miguel River AVFs aze considered to be located outside of the potentially affected <br />azea. <br />XI. Operations on Prime Farmland <br />A. The Division and Natural Resources Conservation Service conducted an extensive <br />review of all azeas within the permit boundaries of the New Horizon Mine and have <br />concluded there are no units that can be classified as prime farmland (4.25.2). <br />36 <br />