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Permit Amendment - Cemex Sandstone Quarry <br />D -1 Summary of Existing Reclamation Plans <br />The existing Cemex Sandstone Quarry Mining and Reclamation Permit includes plans for reclaiming areas <br />affected by mining. Some of the reclamation strategies in the approved permit will be unaffected by this <br />permit amendment. However, the reclamation strategies have been re- evaluated in this amendment <br />application with the goal of minimizing post - reclamation maintenance of the site and implementing lessons <br />learned from previous reclamation activities conducted at nearby sites. This reclamation plan supersedes <br />prior Sandstone Quarry reclamation plan submittals for all future reclamation activities. <br />Reclamation practices that have been previously approved by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, <br />Mining, and Safety (DRMS) for use at the nearby Cemex Lyons and Dowe Flats Quarry properties include <br />the following: <br />• Regrading to enhance long -term stability, promote reclamation success, and reduce erosion <br />potential; <br />• Installing and maintaining surface water drainage channels to remove water from the affected area <br />in a non - erosive manner; <br />• Striping and stockpiling available topsoil prior to disturbance; <br />• Distributing and spreading topsoil to areas prepared for final reclamation at depths that adequately <br />support the reclamation process; <br />• Incorporating amendments into final cover materials as needed to improve revegetation <br />establishment and growth; and <br />• Revegetating with an ecologically appropriate plant species seed mixture. <br />D -2 Reclamation Goals <br />The reclamation goals for the Cemex Sandstone Quarry have not changed from previous permit <br />documents. The long -term reclamation goal remains to stabilize disturbed areas and create a long -term <br />self- sustaining vegetative cover which promotes ecological succession and stability. Stabilization and <br />revegetation objectives have been, and will continue to be, pursued with the best practical technology for <br />reclamation. Permanent vegetation established on reclaimed lands will support the post- mining land use of <br />wildlife habitat. <br />D -2.1 Target & Surrounding Land Use <br />Primary final land use for the Cemex Sandstone Quarry site will be Wildlife Habitat (WL) defined as <br />grassland and open forest with a mosaic of vegetation communities and wildlife habitats. This land use <br />designation has changed from the previous permit documents which listed Agriculture (Rangeland) as the <br />primary post- mining land use. However, the WL designation is consistent with the current use of the land <br />within the property boundary, outside of the affected area boundary, and master plans of surrounding areas. <br />The land adjacent to the Cemex Sandstone Quarry property on the north, west, and south is primarily open <br />space land owned by either Boulder County Open Space or the City of Lyons. These lands are primarily <br />used for wildlife habitat with limited recreation and grazing activities. The east side of the quarry is bordered <br />by a commercial landscape stone yard. <br />D -3 Reclamation Success <br />Cemex has been performing reclamation and testing various approaches, products, and species for over <br />15 years on the nearby Lyons and Dowe Flats Quarries (Habitat Management, Inc. 2010). The methods <br />and strategies included in this reclamation plan are based on lessons learned from these past reclamation <br />projects and years of experience. To date, Cemex has completed over 335 acres of final reclamation and <br />185 acres of interim reclamation. <br />D -3.1 Dowe Flats Quarry <br />Cemex's Dowe Flats Quarry is located two miles northeast of the Sandstone Quarry. Cemex is actively <br />mining this quarry, but concurrent reclamation has been on -going since 1997. To date, 185 acres have <br />been backfilled and reclaimed. Vegetation on the Dowe Flats Quarry reclaimed area is informally monitored <br />Exhibit D D -1 March 2014 <br />