2013-09-18_PERMIT FILE - M2013064 (9)

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Exhibit I & J — Soils & Vegetation Information A portion of these soils will be used in an over the shoulder method to resoil the completed banks of basin slopes; or otherwise to park the soil in stockpiles lining the basin perimeter until ready for application in a manner more fully described below. It should be noted that the former croplands were not maintained for many years prior to the acquisition by Varra Companies, Inc. In the place of corn, a monoculture of kochia ( Kochia scoparia) has established itself over the entire South Field of the parcel, and lying south of Canal #3 (Greeley Irrigation Canal #3). North of Canal #3, lay Middle Field; a former rangeland that was overgrazed and the resulting cover further diminished by several years of historic drought. At this time there is little to find in dominant preferred species of cover typifying the site. The reclamation target will be to establish a stabilizing foliar cover of preferred vegetation (refer to seed mixture) of approximately 20 percent measured at the stem three inches above the ground surface respective of the foliar diameter of the established grass species utilizing standard vegetation cover analysis. For clarity, topsoil is generally regarded as the plow layer (upper six inches) on agricultural soils, or the A -1 soil profile horizon otherwise. The solum, or soil includes the topsoil plus all other material above the regolith of the parent rock and generally no deeper than the depth of rooting of perennial plants or which otherwise meets the definition of soil. One soil differs from another soil by its unique properties and characteristics (such as horizon profile development, structure, texture, color, percent organic matter, chemical composition, etc.) and is identified as such by soil scientists, and described in NRCS Soil Survey documents. The affected soils to be extracted as permitted are designated under the soil survey to fall predominantly under Unit 3: Aquolls and Aquents, gravelly substratum; and Unit 10: Blankard sandy loam (refer to extracts and tables from the 1980 Weld County Soil Survey — Southern Part). Occurring in flood plain locations, as they do at this location, while described as 'deep,' would only apply to the Aquolls, a Mollisol that appears to be a minor component, while the majority of the location is more characteristic of an Aquent or Entisol, which are actually poorly formed soils lacking a typical profile or horizon development; or in the case of the Blankard Series, a shallow A profile of 0 -5 inches in depth overlying sand and gravel. The lack of a deep well developed soil profile is in part due to alluvial flooding which both scours and lays down sediment of diverse textural classes over time, but which lacks the appearance of an Inceptisol which is commonly associated with flood plain locations. This is further evidenced by the lack of a soil series soil horizon profile description in the soil survey for Unit 3 soils. Essentially, previous crop production activities created a plow layer over the majority of South Field, to an approximate depth of six inches. The former rangeland of Middle Field has no predictable soil profile of consequence. Other minor areas of impact over the remaining acres found within the parcel, have poorly developed soils whose depths vary from zero to eight inches. While anomalous pockets of deeper soil depths may Varra Companies, Inc. Varra- Coulson Resource Project 2 OMLR 112 Permit Application 8 August 2013