2011-11-08_APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE - C2010088

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United States Department of the Interior OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING Reclamation and Enforcement Western Region Office 1999 Broadway, Suite 3320 D Denver, CO 80202 -3050 November 4, 2011 Ms. Pam Repp, Acting Western Colorado Supervisor -- U.S. Fish and - Wildlife Service Ecological Services Western Colorado Office 764 Horizon Drive, Building B Grand Junction, Colorado 81506 -3946 Dear Ms. Repp: ovec CO -0026 RE: Biological Assessment (BA) Addendum 1 for McClane Canyon Mine Expansion Project and Fruita Loadout Facility This is an addendum to the Biological Assessment for the CAM- Colorado, LLC McClane Canyon Mine Expansion Project and Fruita Loadout .Facility submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on September 26, 2011. This addendum provides further clarification and an additional conservation measure for the McClane Canyon Mine Expansion Project and does not include any additional clarification or conservation measures for the Fruita Loadout Facility. Note: This letter in draft version was originally submitted via email from OSM to Terry Ireland on October 24, 2011, which Mr. Ireland provided comments via phone conversation with OSM on October 25, 2011. As a result, OSM prepared a second addendum — Addendum 2 (November 1, 2011) that provided further clarification to the Fruita Loadout Facility. However, O SM unintentionally omitted to submit this final version of Addendum 1 to USFWS. Protection of Critical Habitat Critical habitat for Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker may extend for some distance in Salt Creek upstream from its confluence with the Colorado River, although the 100 -year floodplain in Salt Creek has not been mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). East Salt Creek is a tributary to Salt Creek and both drainages are within Lower Colorado River Stream Segment 13b where they are located downstream (downgradient) from the Government Highline Canal, defined in Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Water Quality Control Commission Regulation 37. The Table Value Standard (TVS) for selenium for Segment 13b is 18.4 pg/L (acute) and 4.6 µg/L (chronic). Those concentrations also apply to the water quality in critical habitat assumed to be present in lower Salt Creek. Salt Creek is included in Colorado's Section 303(d) list of Impaired Waters for impairment (with moderate priority) due to concentrations of selenium.