2013-04-18_PERMIT FILE - C2009087 (5)

Home Browse Search

RULE 2 - PERMITS 2.04.3 Site Description and Land Use Information This section of the mine permit application addresses previous and existing land uses within the PSCM permit area and adjacent areas for the purpose of evaluating mining - related impacts and the development of the reclamation and post - mining land use plan. Based on the PSCM being an underground mine, the primary emphasis of this section is on the portions of the PSCM permit area that has surface disturbance for facilities and infrastructure to support underground mining activities. Environmental resource and historic land use information is also provided for the entire PSCM permit area to serve as a basis for future permit renewals and revisions and to provide a perspective to gauge the impacts from the proposed surface facilities relative to the total PSCM permit area. The majority of information presented herein is derived from the Seneca II Mining and Reclamation Plan Tab 13 — Post- Mining Land Use, the James Nyenhuis 2009 Soil Resources Survey Report, the 2008 ESCO Baseline Vegetation Report, and the ICF Jones & Stokes 2008/2009 Wildlife Baseline Report. Site Description The PSCM permit area is located nine miles southeast of Hayden in Routt County, Colorado. It is in the foothills of the Williams Fork Mountains and south of the Yampa River. The PSCM pen-nit area contains approximately 10,164 acres and encompasses a majority of the reclaimed Seneca II Mine which have been transferred to PSCM. The western portion of the PSCM permit area is located east of the reclaimed Yoast Mine. Topography in the PSCM permit area and adjacent areas ranges in elevation from approximately 6,600 to 7,800 feet. The average elevation of the permit area is approximately 7,040 feet. Terrain varies from rolling hills with agricultural fields and rangeland in the northwestern, central, and extreme southern extents of the PSCM permit area and adjacent areas to high ridges and steep slopes within the eastern and southwestern portions. The proposed PSCM portal facilities, stockpile areas, access roads, and haul roads that make up the surface disturbance area will encompass 355.8 acres and lie adjacent to Little Grassy Creek. The majority of the portal and surface facilities area (surface disturbance area) will be located on reclaimed mine lands (Seneca II Mine). The PSCM permit area and adjacent areas are located in a semi -arid climate with annual precipitation ranging between 16.4 and 18.9 inches (as measured at the Seneca IIW Mine and Hayden, respectively), an average annual maximum temperature of 58.2 degrees, and an average minimum temperature of 26.8 degrees for the period 1909 to 2007 (WRCC 2009a). See Section 2.04.8 for more details regarding climatological information. The soils in the PSCM permit area and adjacent areas are generally shallow to moderately deep and moderately well drained productive Mollisols. Much of the area also consists of Vertisols (clay soils) and recently reclaimed soils mapped as poorly developed Entisols ( Nyenhuis, 2009). The soils in the portal area are either reclaimed lands, clays, or alluvial lands undifferentiated. Roads and any support facilities are classed as disturbed lands. See Section 2.04.9 for more details on soils. The vegetation in the PSCM permit area is predominantly sagebrush grassland, mountain brush, and mined and reclaimed land, the proposed PSCM portal and surface facilities disturbance area contains reclaimed mine lands and previously undisturbed sagebrush/grassland vegetation. See Section 2.04.10 for more details on vegetation cover types. PSCM Permit App. 2.04 -4 TR04 May 2012