Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Contents
Figure 29. Uranium ore bodies at the Roca Honda permit area ................................................. 104
Figure 30. Diagram depicting soil textural classes. Source: NRCS, no date ............................. 105
Figure 31. Soil survey of Roca Honda permit area .................................................................... 106
Figure 32. Drainage map of San Mateo Creek, Rio San José, and Rio Puerco, New Mexico ... 114
Figure 33. Permit area watershed and surface water resources .................................................. 115
Figure 34. Map showing the two-digit USGS HUC
watersheds in relation to the RHR mine site ............................................................. 117
Figure 35. Mean daily streamflow for Rio San José, Arroyo
del Puerto, and San Mateo Creek, 1977–1982 .......................................................... 118
Figure 36. Daily streamflow in Rio San José at Gallup (USGS Gaging Station 8343000) ....... 119
Figure 37. Mean monthly average flow of San Mateo Creek .................................................... 120
Figure 38. Generalized hydrogeologic cross-section of San Juan Basin .................................... 126
Figure 39. Typical stratigraphy of the Roca Honda permit area ................................................ 132
Figure 40. Springs near the proposed Roca Honda Mine ........................................................... 141
Figure 41. Drainage basin of Rio San José ................................................................................ 144
Figure 42. Extent and grid of INTERA model used to predict groundwater impacts ................ 162
Figure 43. Drawdown of Westwater Canyon aquifer after 13
years of pumping (close of Roca Honda Mine) ........................................................ 169
Figure 44. Drawdown of Westwater Canyon aquifer after 13
years of pumping and 100 years of recovery ............................................................ 170
Figure 45. Modeled hydrograph for San Mateo well ................................................................. 171
Figure 46. Modeled hydrograph for 143 well ............................................................................ 172
Figure 47. Modeled hydrograph for Crownpoint well ............................................................... 173
Figure 48. Vegetation communities in the Roca Honda Mine permit area ................................ 197
Figure 49. Jesus Mesa and the three vegetation communities.................................................... 198
Figure 50. Southern end of proposed water reuse pipeline route ............................................... 200
Figure 51. Location map of proposed water reuse pipeline route .............................................. 201
Figure 52. View of Laguna Polvadera (near northern end) facing southwest ............................ 202
Figure 53. Roca Honda permit area and pipeline route vegetation communities....................... 203
Figure 54. Biological pathways of exposure for uranium and association radionuclides
within a food web in New Mexico (adapted from Hincks et al., 2010). ................... 235
Figure 55. Hypothetical exposure pathways of uranium and other
radionuclides (Hincks et al., 2010) ........................................................................... 236
Figure 56. Regional map with surrounding land ownership ...................................................... 248
Figure 57. Nearby recreation sites .............................................................................................. 259
Figure 58. Distribution of minority populations by census tract ................................................ 267
Figure 59. Percent of population below the age of 5 years in the project ROI .......................... 269
Figure 60. Annual unemployment rates, 2000-2009 .................................................................. 282
Figure 61. Areas of Potential Effect for the proposed Roca Honda Mine.................................. 301
Figure 62. Mt. Taylor Traditional Cultural Property and physical APE .................................... 322
Figure 63. Setting APE, mine permit area, and Mt. Taylor TCP boundary ............................... 326
Figure 64. View looking north from the permit area.................................................................. 363
Figure 65. View looking southeast from the permit area ........................................................... 363
xviii DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest