2013-03-05_REVISION - C1981010 (2)

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involving water depletions of less than 100 ac /ft reasonably and prudently avoid the jeopardy of endangered fishes. Description of Permit Area The Trapper surface coal mine is located in Moffat County, Colorado approximately six 6 miles south of the town of Craig Colorado within State of Colorado and private lands. The Trapper mine extends across the northern slope of the Williams Fork Mountains between elevations of 6,500 to 7,800 feet above sea level. The crest of the Williams Fork Mountains form a ridge running east -west at elevations between 7,400 to 7,800 feet above sea level. The mining operations use a combination of dragline, truck/loader and limited highwall miner mining methods. The average production rate is approximately 2.3 million tons per year from eight coal seams of the Williams Fork Formation but could reach a maximum production rate of 2.6 million tons per year. The Yampa River flows generally east to west a short distance from the permit area and the Williams Fork River skirts the south side of the permit area flowing into the Yampa River, approximately one mile west of the permit area. Within the permit area, on north facing slopes, include portions of the Buzzard Coyote, No Name, Johnson, Pyeatte, and Flume flow generally south to north primarily in response to snowmelt or heavy rains and all discharge eventually into the Yampa River. Drainages within the southern portion of the permit area include portions of Ute, Castor, Deer, Elk, and Horse Gulches flow generally southward into the Williams Fork River. Trapper Mining Inc. estimated a water depletion level of 214.17 ac /ft during 2012 due to mining operations. However it is offset by 63.97 ac /ft augmentation from deep well pumping and pit dewatering from noncontributing aquifers below the Yampa River. Therefore, Trapper Mining Inc.'s net water depletion from the Trapper Mine is 150.20 ac /ft. Vegetation in the area grows largely in response to macro - climatic influences of the region. The north facing slopes having moderate to deep soils, a relatively mesic moisture regime, and favorable levels of insolation throughout the year, are characterized by well - developed mountain shrub communities. On the colluvial toe slopes communities dominated by sagebrush and some grasses occur. On the south facing slopes behind the ridgeline of the Williams Fork Mountains vegetative communities are not as well developed in terms of cover, density, and production due to the less favorable soils, moisture regime, and increased solar insolation. The trend in these areas is toward communities dominated by juniper, pinon, mountain mahogany, and xerophytes. The mountain shrub community within the permit area gradually thins in terms of density and cover from east to west giving way to a community of Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentatal) and grasses to the western side of the permit area. Descending northward from the ridge of the Williams Fork Mountains at elevations above 7,200 feet Gamble oak (Ouercus gambelii) dominates the mountain shrub community and serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) and chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) are less abundant. Snowberry (Symphoricarpos oreophilus) is the most prominent understory component with occasional Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) or bitterbrush (Purshia tridentate). Gamble's oak becomes less dominate at lower elevations giving way to sagebrush, serviceberry, and chokecherry and only dominates east facing slopes. At the lowest elevations serviceberry and chokecherry give way to a community dominated by sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and grasses. Page 3