2008-05-01_REVISION - M1973007SG (5)

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MINING PLAN new highway open next to a sand mine. Furthermore,because the mining of the highway slope will be within a few tens of feet of the south edge of the highway, there is the problem of interference, safety and distraction of drivers. But excavation of the highway slope and the ditch corridor will primarily involve the finer, upper level sands. To maintain the flow of more coarse sand, other deeper mining will also need to occur elsewhere in the North Area. Furthermore, the earlier the ridge between the North and South Area is opened, the simpler transport of mined sand will be. It becomes clear from this discussion that the mining of the highway slopes and ditch corridor is a high priority so greater freedom must be available for mining elsewhere. But just because it is high priority should not be taken to mean it is the only priority. The first priority is to maintain the flow of diverse sand textures so the products desired by the market can be supplied and that may mean mining in several areas at once. It is also clear from this discussion that reclamation of the highway slope must be a very high priority so as to reduce visual impacts from the highway caused by continued mining in the pit. To accomplish this, mining of the highway slope needs to be finished as early in the sequence as possible so it can be reclaimed. Transport of Mined Sand As the sand is extracted it must be transported to the processing plant where it is washed, sorted, and stockpiled for distribution. In the past,nearly all transport was through the use of haul trucks. But in recent years that system has been replaced by a,�yor system. In the long run this system is more cost effective than the use of haul trucks, it greatly reduces noise and dust, and maintains a more steady flow of raw sand to the plant which makes processing more efficient. All of the conveyors are portable and although some conveyors may remain in one place for a few years, feeder conveyors are often moved about. Even the conveyors that remain in more or less the same place for long periods can be and are lengthened or shortened to accommodate the needs of current mining areas. The conveyors are usually supported on concrete blocks resting on the bottom of mined out areas. When a conveyor is moved, it is lifted off the blocks, the blocks are moved to the new location and the conveyor simply set back on top of the blocks. There are a few other steps, but basically that is how it is done. When the mining area is closer to the main feeder, sometimes entire conveyors are removed and stored for later use . A conveyor connects the east side to the west side by passing through its own tunnel under Academy Boulevard which is adjacent to,but not connected with, the vehicle tunnel that has been in use for many years. It has been determined by prior action that the end of the permit is the location just west of Academy Boulevard where sand brought from the east side is dumped on to the first Daniels Sand Pit Amendment (2008) Exhibit D Page 26 of 28