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2.0 REMOVAL OF NON-AUTHORIZED MATERIALS <br /> VRI has addressed preliminary actions to include establishment of a staging/stockpile area, <br /> removal/management of deleterious materials, and removal/management of free liquid (primarily <br /> meteoric precipitation accumulation) in Sections 1.1 through 1.5, above. <br /> This section specifically addresses (and is limited to) the excavation, transport, interim storage, <br /> and disposition of the non-authorized materials that presently reside within the EPF and atop the <br /> EPF's composite liner system. <br /> The removal action will likely incorporate the establishment of a lower level working platform of <br /> width sufficient to accommodate planned equipment size requirements. This will be accomplished <br /> through placement of a "fines" cushion at and along the waste rock toe area and immediately <br /> behind the concrete barrier wall (and potentially atop the existing solid matrix tailing material if <br /> determined necessary to provide sufficient bearing capacity for excavating equipment). This will <br /> be accomplished using onsite materials(with screening, as may be warranted)and/or importation <br /> of offsite-sourced (commercially procured) "clean" fill material. The material will be placed into <br /> the working area and be advanced or extended (via dozer push) along the full length of (and <br /> interior to)the barrier wall utilizing low ground pressure equipment. In this manner, entrance and <br /> exit points will be established at either end. A haulage ramp will also be established at the point <br /> of egress, extending upslope and leading to the aforementioned upgradient staging/stockpile <br /> area, entering same via the previously discussed ramp crossing the perimeter berm. <br /> Once the working platform earthworks have been completed, solid surface panels will be laid out <br /> to serve the dual purposes of being a mucking platform and travel surface. Final material <br /> specifications have not yet been determined, and may be largely dependent on final equipment <br /> selection (giving due consideration to machine operating weight and bearing capacity, etc.); <br /> however, it is anticipated that the panels may be steel sheeting or mats,wood panels, or of similar <br /> configuration. <br /> Once the working platform panels are in place, excavation work will proceed utilizing one, or a <br /> combination of, the following methods: (1) downslope push of material onto the mucking platform <br /> using a small, low ground pressure loader or dozer(i.e., either a tracked Bobcat skid steer unit or <br /> flotation tire equipped unit, or equivalent); (2) downslope push or downslope pull of material <br /> utilizing a backhoe excavator unit with a smooth-edge (toothless) bucket; and/or (3) overhand <br /> removal via backhoe excavator unit with a smooth-edge (toothless) bucket as performed from a <br /> crest area position. [Note: It is anticipated that full material removal will require an iterative series <br /> of excavating actions, each followed by a mucking cycle of material pickup, load, and transport]. <br /> Once a sufficient volume of material has been moved onto the mucking platform, the platform <br /> area will be cleared of the excavating equipment (as necessary), and a rubber-tired front end <br /> loader unit(or equivalent)will be utilized to re-excavate (muck)the material and tram the material <br /> upgradient via the haulage route to the staging/stockpile area. At that location, the material will <br /> stockpiled in a manner that minimizes the areal extent of the stockpile. The front end loader will <br /> 10 <br />