2015-07-23_INSPECTION - M2004017

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INERT FILL NOTICE (RULE 3.1.5(9)) Willits Company, Inc. M-2004-017 From time to time over the life of the mine we may import inert materials as defined in Rule 1.1(20), into this mining operation. It will be recycled and sold or used to partially construct the slopes that will be left when mining ends. Some may also be used to backfill portions of the mined area. If courser fill is used it will then be covered with finer material and revegetated where required by the permit. If the material is good dirt, we will use it to supplement the topsoil needs for the mined area. Sloping will not be delayed if fill is not available since the fill will supplement material on the site at this time. The exact amount of material to be imported is unknown. We will record the volume imported each year in and keep a running total so if needed the Division will know how much and how it as disposed of. Importing fill will begin when operations at this mine resume. We will continue to import inert fill until reclamation is complete or we no longer have a source. No specific compaction rates are proposed for the fill. The material usually available contains smaller pieces of concrete, or dirt mixed with the larger pieces of the same material. This makes it very difficult to achieve a specific compaction rate. While we take no action to reach a specific compaction rate, the way the material is placed tends to compact it. We run heavy equipment over the filled area during the filling process and the material is compacted as a result. Stabilization of this fill material is not a concern because of the limited amount used in the slopes and the way it is placed. What voids do remain are usually under large pieces of material and little settling is possible. No structures will be built on the fill, nor will the depth of the fill be so great as to affect offsite lands if settling occurred.