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STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 275 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone: (303) 866-3567 <br />FAX: (303) 832-8106 <br />DATE; June 3, 2004 (~ <br />TO: Jim Burnell '~l-n <br />FROM: Dan Mathews I',l.l[y\,f' <br />RECEIVED <br />JUN 1 0 2004 <br />Division of Minerals 8 Geology <br />RE: West Elk Mine PR-10 (South of Divide Permit Revision) <br />Permit No. C-1980-007 <br />COLORADO <br />DIVISION O F <br />MIN &RALS <br />GEOLOGY <br />0.EC LAM ATION•MIN INC <br />SAf FTY•SCIENCE <br />Bill Owens <br />Governor <br />Russell George <br />Executive DIRCIOr <br />Ronald W. Cattany <br />Division DIreCIOr <br />Natural Resource Trus[ee <br />Per your request, I have reviewed the Vegetation Information (2.04.10) and Prime Farmland <br />(2.04.12) sections of the PR-10 application, as well as the AVF section from the currently <br />approved application, which was not updated within the PR-10 revision application. I have <br />also reviewed the pertinent sections of the July 16, 2001 RN-4 Findings Document. My <br />review comments pursuant to the requirements of these sections are set forth below. Let <br />me know if you have any questions. Some of the AVF comments may reiterate concerns or <br />questions you have already noted pursuant to your hydrology review. If so, feel tree to edit <br />the comments as you deem appropriate, in preparing the adequacy letter. <br />I have tried to word the specific numbered adequacy comments so that they can be directly <br />inserted into an adequacy letter, if you so choose. The "background discussion" that leads <br />into some of my AVF questions gets a little wordy, and it may not be necessary to include <br />all of it in an adequacy letter. <br />2.04.10 Vegetation Information <br />A vegetation map (Map 42) covering the entire permit area lincluding SOD extension <br />area and an adequate buffer area) at a scale of 1:24000 is included in the approved <br />permit. In addition, the approved permit contains an adequate larger scale <br />vegetation map.(Map 431 covering the areas of approved disturbance, at a scale of <br />1:2400, with the approved historic record vegetation study area depicted on Map <br />53. There are no areas of proposed or approved surface disturbance within the SOD <br />extension area. <br />Plant community descriptions as required by 2.04.10(4) were updated to include <br />some additional discussion regarding riparian communities and wetlands within the <br />SOD extension area. <br />We have only two requests regarding the vegetation maps and narrative: <br />a) Map 42 will need to be amended to include the proposed SOD extended permit <br />boundary, as required by 2.10.1(31. <br />b) A wet meadow community is described on amended page 2.04-142 and 2.04- <br />143 as occurririg within the SOD extension area in places along the Dry Fork and <br />Office of Office of Colorado <br />Mined Land Reclamation Active and Inactive Mines Geological Survey <br />