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RECLAMATION MANAGEMENT <br /> Incidental Erosion of Reclaimed Areas: It's inevitable. Something is going to erode and hopefully it <br /> won't be more than shallow rills. But if more than rilling occurs, such as gullies form, action must be <br /> taken to correct it because gullies rarely fix themselves. If it is serious then equipment may be needed to <br /> fix it, but often simply doing some erosion control measures is all that is needed. <br /> Gullies can often be controlled by installing barriers in the gully that are high enough and strong <br /> enough to slow the velocity of the water and let whatever sediment is being carried by the water settle <br /> out to create a stair step pattern in the gully. For this properly installed silt fence, logs keyed into the <br /> sides of the gully, or even straw bales that are partially inserted into a hand dug trench and staked to the <br /> ground is enough to stop the erosion and allow vegetation to develop behind the barriers. However, <br /> dumping more soil into the gully usually just erodes away and a new gully is produced. <br /> The point is, erosion dealt with early is easily corrected with a couple of hours of hand labor,but <br /> if it is not dealt with early it can become an expensive thing to deal with. <br /> Monitoring is important to detect any developing problems. During the first year after <br /> reclamation on a site like this inspection every two or three weeks and after any severe thunderstorms in <br /> between the usual inspections will be done in an attempt to catch erosion problems early. After <br /> vegetation has become established, usually in the second year, erosion problems can still develop but the <br /> land is less prone to serious erosion. In the second year,monthly inspections is probably sufficient. <br /> However, if a very heavy thunderstorm occurs it is wise to check the land. <br /> Inspecting will be on foot or from high points using a pair of binoculars to look for signs of <br /> gullying. Using a drone to fly over the area may also be a quick way to check for erosion if a video <br /> record can be produced to view on a large screen so the land can be checked from the air. Often aerial <br /> views reveal things that can't be seen even on foot, especially if the vegetation is fairly dense. <br /> Weed Management: Weed management is required on all mining operations and in reclamation <br /> projects. The land surrounding this site has a low variety of noxious weeds,but diffuse knapweed is very <br /> abundant in many areas. This species in particular can be very damaging to a revegetation program. As <br /> with erosion control, weed control early and often is the best approach. Portions of this site are <br /> moderately to heavily infested with knapweed, but other areas have very little either because the soil <br /> won't grow much of anything or because the existing vegetation is so dense the knapweed can't get <br /> Vollmer Pit Technical Revision June 2018 Updated Reclamation Plan Page 25 of 26 <br />