2011-06-21_APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE - C2010088

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Corey Heaps CAM Colorado LLC June 21, 2011 Rule 2.04.9 Soils Resource Information Page 14 21. It appears that a 1978 NRCS soil survey was used as the base map for the Exhibit 7 baseline soil survey, rather than the current NRCS soil survey for the Mesa County Area, as provided in the USDA Web Soil Survey. Based on the Web Soil Survey mapping for the area of the proposed permit, the dominant soil type within the native greasewood community is Skumpah Silt Loam 0 -2% slopes, with a small acreage of Sagers Silty Clay Loam Saline 0 -2% slopes Iocated along the northwest boundary of the previously disturbed area, to the east of Reed Wash. A significant portion of the irrigated runoff wetlands between Reed Wash and Loma Drain are mapped as Cojam Loam 0 -2% slopes on the Web Soil Survey mapping. These areas all appear to have been mapped as Billings Loam to Silty Clay Loam in the baseline soil survey (although there is some apparent disparity between map and text of the report with respect to the Irrigated Wetland areas). Narrow bands of Torrifluvents were mapped along the riparian area within the incised Reed Wash drainage (and apparently within the Loma Drain riparian zone as well, although this is not entirely clear from the report narrative). Please revise the Soils baseline map and report, as well as related narrative in Section 2.04.9, to reflect use of the current NRCS soil survey for initial map unit boundaries for the lands subject to the site specific baseline soil survey, or provide explanation and justification for use of the earlier NRCS survey as the basis for initial soil mapping. Similarly, for those lands within the permit area that were not subject to site specific baseline soil survey (lands not proposed for surface disturbance), please revise the map to reflect the current NRCS soil survey mapping, unless justification for use of the earlier NRCS soil survey can be provided. Please verify that the site specific baseline survey extended far enough to the west to include the margins of the Irrigated Wetlands vegetation type that would be crossed by the rail spur, and please delineate the boundary of the detailed baseline survey area on Map 6. CAM Response: The baseline soil survey used for the Fruita Loadout project was a new, detailed Order 1 -2 soil survey completed in 2010 by James Nyenhuis, Certified Professional Soil Scientist (ARCPACS #2753). The previous 1978 NRCS soil survey of Mesa County was used for background information (literature review) but the actual completed survey for the project was a new, stand -alone soil survey with three soil description/sample sites at representative locations. Neither the 1978 soil survey, nor the newer revised (on line) Web Soil Survey, had any soil description or sample sites on the project area. The revised (on line) survey was not available at the time of the 2010 field work, and a recent review of it questions whether any actual field work was completed on the Fruita Loadout area. Both Skumpah silt loam (Map Unit BcA) and Sagers silty clay loam (Map Unit BcS), dominant soils on the project area based on the Web Soil Survey, were mapped across both native lands and the previously disturbed "Land Farms" area in the same delineations. If. the Web Soil Survey can't distinguish between obviously disturbed land and native land, then the mapping probably was done from the office and not on the ground. The Billings loam to silty clay loam soil, which was site - specifically