2008-05-01_REVISION - M1973007SG (5)

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SOILS INFORMATION For those portions of this area that are still in the permit,most of the area is occupied by a large sediment basin. Surrounding this basin are slopes composed of various materials including overburden, old soils, clean fill materials, as well as topsoiled and revegetated land. The sediment basin in particular is of interest for the reclamation in that it contains very fine sediment derived from the washing of the sand. This material holds prodigious amounts of water, but it still drains into the underlying gravel seams that contain the primary alluvial aquifer. This material has a high capability for supporting dense growths of trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs. East of Academy Boulevard GENERAL SOIL TYPE: All of the soil on this site is classified as Blakeland loamy sand, 1 to 9 percent slopes. This soil often covers deep sand deposits throughout northwestern El Paso County. The sand deposit under these soils can be up to 150 feet deep,but in some places the soil and underlying sand is intermixed with clay seams and fine gravel. The on-site examination confirmed that the soil is a Blakeland loamy sand. But there is some variation where the topography changes from the more common relatively level land to shallow drainages where water availability is greater. Also, much of the area may have been "farmed" at one time and was subsequently planted with pasture grasses. As a result, the soil in some locations is somewhat better than the typical Blakeland loamy sand. Where no farming apparently occurred the soil is more typical. Typically this soil is of poor quality, but is still better than what occurs underneath it. Exhibit J, Vegetation Information, provides additional information on these relationships and its relationship to the history of the site. The remainder of this exhibit will primarily address the soil structure and characteristics. TYPICAL SOIL DESCRIPTION: Typically the Blakeland loamy sand has about 11 inches of a dark, grayish brown surface layer overlying about 2 to 2.5 feet of a brown loamy sand which rests on top of the sand substrate. Related soils include various forms of the Bresser, Truckton, and Stapleton series. Each of these soils, especially the Bresser and Truckton soils, often indicate the presence of sand deposits,but these soils tend to be somewhat more gravelly than the Blakeland. None of these soils were found on this site. It appears to be solely Blakeland loamy sand. In most cases, the organic matter content is medium to low, erosion hazard is low to medium, but the wind-blowing hazard is moderate to high due to the fine texture of the soil. The sand found Daniels Sand Pit#2 Amendment (2008) Exhibit I Page 2 of 8