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Final reclamation of the Mineral Materials Sale Area, as envisioned, will create a landscape that <br />substantially mimics the landscape currently present in Webster Park, south of and bordering the <br />Mineral Materials Sale Area. Final reclamation of the alluvial mining area and the granite quarry <br />on the private land will remain water storage, as per the currently approved reclamation plan. <br /> <br />2. Mine Phasing <br /> <br />Mining of the Mineral Materials Sale Area will be performed in five phases progressing generally <br />from west and northwest to southeast. The sixth phase of mining will extend the mining from the <br />BLM land onto the current granite quarry area. The areas expected to be disturbed by the six <br />mining phases are shown on the Parkdale Expansion Mine Plan Maps in Exhibit D. The road used <br />to access the mining area and transport mined materials will be constructed prior to the <br />commencement of Phase 1 mining. A conveyor system may be constructed during the first phase <br />of mining to replace haul trucks for transporting material from the Phase 1, 2, and 3 mining areas. <br />The mine plan and mining phases are designed to minimize the area of disturbed unreclaimed <br />ground, and to minimize the length of time that a piece of ground remains disturbed and <br />unreclaimed. The mine plan and phasing is also designed to minimize viewshed impacts along the <br />Arkansas River/U.S. Highway 50 corridor from the mining operation in the Mineral Materials <br />Sales Area. Viewshed impacts will be minimized by using a technique called “mine from behind” <br />wherein the existing topography acts as a view screen, and where mining of visible elevated areas <br />is conducted from the side away from the viewpoint. Additionally, the sandstone outcroppings <br />along the southern edge of the Mineral Materials Sales Area will remain undisturbed to further <br />screen mining from being visible along the Arkansas River/U.S. Highway 50 corridor. <br /> <br />We anticipate that Phase 1 of the mining process will disturb approximately 81 acres over a period <br />of 15 to 20 years in the area designated as the West Pit. Phase 2 mining will disturb approximately <br />166 acres over an estimated period of 20 to 40 years in the area designated as the West Central Pit. <br />We estimate that Phase 3 will disturb approximately 228 acres over a period of 25 to 50 years in <br />the area designated as the Central Pit. The Phase 4 will disturb approximately 110 acres over an <br />estimated 15 to 30-year period in the area designated as the East Central Pit. Phase 5 mining will <br />disturb approximately 113 acres in the area designated as the East Pit, and will take an estimated <br />15 to 25 years. Phase 6 mining will disturb approximately 57 acres of private land and will take an <br />estimated 10 to 20 years to complete. The generalized post-mining topography is shown on the <br />Reclamation Plan Map in Exhibit F. Reclamation activities will begin in a particular part of a pit <br />area when mining is complete in that part of the pit area, and there is no longer a need to access it. <br />Thus, reclamation will be occurring concurrently with mining, in order to minimize the total <br />disturbed acreage. <br /> <br />3. Haul Road Construction <br /> <br />The haul road running along the southern and southwestern boundary of the Mineral Materials <br />Sale Area, shown on the Pre-mining Map in Exhibit C, will be constructed prior to the <br />commencement of mining as the initial haul/access road serving the area. The haul road will lead <br />from the material processing facilities on the Martin Marietta owned portion of the quarry. The <br />haul road will remain in place throughout the life of the mine. Semi-permanent and temporary haul <br />roads will be constructed to bring material from the pit areas to the main haul road. Haul roads