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XIII. Protection of Underground Mining <br />There are no current or historic underground mining within the permit area. <br />XIV. Operations on Alluvial Valley Floors <br />The permit area and adjacent lands contain two stream channels — Sage Creek and Dry <br />Creek— with enough associated alluvium to be considered as potential alluvial valley floors. <br />Both channels cross the permit area as well as adjacent area. The permittee's alluvial valley <br />floor analysis is contained in Tab 14 of the permit application. <br />Below is a detailed consideration of the alluvial valley floor potential of each of the <br />following two drainages: Dry Creek and Sage Creek. <br />Evidence of vegetation and surface water quality at the loadout seems to suggest that the <br />alluvial valley floor and surface water within the permit area is unsuitable for flood <br />irrigation or subirrigation of hay or other field crops. However, based upon information <br />included in the permit application (including mapping of alluvial deposits, agricultural fields <br />located below the rail loop which may be subirrigated, and alluvial waters from Dry Creek <br />apparently being used to irrigate hay fields downstream) and previous findings by the <br />Division for the Seneca II -W Mine concerning Dry Creek, those portions of Dry Creek <br />mapped as alluvial deposits will continue to be designated as part of the Dry Creek alluvial <br />valley floor. <br />The loadout has existed on the Dry Creek valley floor since early 1978 and was previously <br />permitted by the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Division. The area of the valley floor <br />affected by the disturbance comprises approximately 4% of the area of unconsolidated <br />alluvial deposits in the valley. None of the disturbance impinges upon the area of irrigated <br />agriculture indicated by the applicant. No further disturbance is planned for this operation. <br />Because of the small area involved and because the disturbance is contained with a sediment <br />control system, the operation will have no significant effect on the integrity of surrounding <br />agricultural activity. <br />Impacts on surface water quality due to disturbances at the loadout will be minimal due to <br />the size of the permit area with respect to the surface area drained by Dry Creek. <br />Furthermore, data provided by the applicant indicates that coal stockpiled at the loadout does <br />not contain any chemical constituents at high enough concentrations to be of concern with <br />respect to contamination of surface water. Surface water effects will be monitored during <br />and after mining by surface monitoring stations on Dry Creek upstream and downstream of <br />the disturbance to verify this conclusion. <br />A. The Division has determined that an alluvial valley floor exists within the affected or <br />adjacent area. Therefore, the following findings are in order for the alluvial valley floor <br />located on Dry Creek and Sage Creek. <br />Hayden Gulch Loadout 31 November 22, 2011 <br />