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not be established on the Morgan property. Reclamation success for the cropland — irrigated <br />alfalfa hay will be evaluated using the technical standard approved in the permit. <br />To address the Prime Farmlands requirements of the Rules, WFC has added Section 2.06.6 to the <br />permit. This section lists each of the prime farmland requirements and provides references to the <br />location(s) in the permit where each requirement is addressed. <br />In the informal conference and in written correspondence, Mr. Mike Morgan questioned whether <br />changes in the post mining topography and irrigation would create impacts from a spoil spring. <br />WFC reevaluated the Probable Hydrologic Consequences (PHC) section of the permit to <br />consider the changes in irrigation patterns and in the post mining topography. The revised PHC <br />is found in Section 2.05.6(3) of the permit. No significant changes to the probable hydrologic <br />consequences are predicted. <br />With the review of PR -6, WFC has substantially reorganized the permit to remove inconsistent <br />sections and to clarify the terms of the permit to ensure compliance. The Division is proposing <br />to approve PR -6. <br />III. Description of the Environment <br />A. General and Affected Area <br />The New Horizon Mine 1 permit block encompasses approximately 98.6 acres that have been <br />reclaimed. This area is commonly referred to as the Rice tract. Revegetation sampling was <br />initiated on this tract in 2006 and the initial results indicated that it would not achieve the Phase <br />III revegetation success standards. <br />The New Horizon Mine 2 permit block encompasses approximately 827.44 acres. <br />Approximately 768.04 acres will be disturbed due to mining or related activities at Mine 2. The <br />majority of this findings document pertains to the Mine 2 area, since the activities at Mine 1 have <br />ceased with the exception vegetation monitoring on the Rice Tract. <br />The topography is gently sloping with a few small ridges and swales. Most of the land <br />surrounding the permit area is agricultural and is used for irrigated and non - irrigated farmland <br />that generally produces alfalfa or pasture grasses. <br />The mine is located within the southeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau. The region is <br />characterized by broad and fairly smooth surfaced plateaus and mesas with gently dipping slopes <br />which are dissected by steep canyons. Surface elevations at the New Horizon Mine 2 area range <br />from a high of 5,795 feet (MSL) in the northeast part to a low of 5,555 feet in the northwest part <br />along Tuttle Draw for a total relief of about 240 feet. <br />B. Geology and Topography <br />E <br />