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Air quality permitting under the Clean Air Act is administered by the State of Utah for the power <br />plant. It is assumed for this analysis that these standards and permit conditions are protective of <br />surface waters for air -born pollutants. Actual emission rates are estimated and disclosed in the <br />Air Quality Section. Storage of and proper disposal of solid wastes from the Bonanza Power <br />Plant would be the responsibility of the State of Utah to comply with the Clean Water Act. There <br />are no known violations of the Bonanza Power Plant with regard to the Clean Water Act and the <br />location of the waste treatment facilities are more than 10 miles from the closest perennial waters <br />(the White River in Utah). Therefore, it can be assumed that the power plant would comply with <br />the Clean Water Act and it can be assumed for this analysis that this would be protective of water <br />quality for beneficial uses including aquatic life. <br />Vegetation and soil disturbance within the project boundary would occur from livestock grazing <br />and dispersed recreation. These activities typically have localized impacts such as accelerating <br />erosion in areas of vehicle use or livestock trailing. Some of the soils have high runoff rates, <br />specifically the Moyerson stony clay loam. Regional erosion rates are likely to increase over the <br />project life due to the Proposed Action and other activities. Red Wash is known for poor soils <br />and high erosion rates. <br />Water quality in stream segments below the project boundary are not expected to change in a <br />measureable way due to the Proposed Action or other activities described above. Water segments <br />are likely to continue to meet beneficial uses in both Colorado and Utah. <br />Environmental Consequences of the No Action Alternative: <br />Direct and Indirect Effects: The coal mine would not be expanded, currently authorized <br />mining would continue and the new lease area would not be developed. Soil disturbance would <br />be similar to current conditions; however, reclamation for above ground facilities would likely <br />begin more quickly (i.e. it is likely that final abandonment would occur more quickly without <br />additional coal lease development). <br />Cumulative Effects: Authorized mining activities, livestock grazing, and dispersed <br />recreation would all continue at about current rates and intensities. <br />Stipulations to he Applied as Mitigation: <br />No additional mitigation beyond what is required in the soils section is needed. <br />Finding on the Public Land Health Standard #5 for Water Quality: <br />It is unlikely that drilling activities, coal mining, or surface discharge of water from the mine <br />would result in an exceedence of state water quality standards. <br />VEGETATION <br />Affected Environment: <br />The proposed lease encompasses multiple ecological sites (see Table 11). <br />DOI- BLM -CO- 110- 2012- 0023 -EA 40 <br />