2021-08-02_REVISION - M1976007UG

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certain point during firing, they become low temperature clay meaning the clay will melt at the fired temperatures used to manufacture brick. At this point the clay is of no value. This low temperature clay will mark the edge of the mine and will be within the proposed east affected area boundary. Mining Operation The variety of clays in the permit boundary is not only a unique resource but also an interesting mining challenge. During mining, each clay and/or sandstone layer described above is segregated and stockpiled separately. Since each brick mix is a proprietary blend of clays, sandstone and other ingredients, the specific clay needed for a brick batch is hauled to the brick factory as market demands. Mining will begin on the east side of the deposit and will proceed towards the west in one to two benches depending on the depth desired. The depth of mining is determined by the thickness of the clay between the sandstone layer and the desired quantity of clay product stockpile for brick manufacturing. The mine develops as a north to south ramp where the south ramp area is at a higher elevation than the north ramp area. The ramp surface provides space to blend the various clays and sandstone as identified in the previous geologic description in order to produce consistent clay blends to the brick plant. Mining is proposed to a ground elevation of 6050 ft., safely above the ceiling of the historic underground clay mines. Between 600 and 800 linear feet of the mine face is blasted (if necessary), mined, segregated and stockpiled. Using an excavator and off road trucks, the sandstone beds and claystone beds are sorted bed by bed as either waste (called interburden and is often sandstone) or clay. Blasting may be required for the thick sandstone layer in the middle of the deposit due to the hardness of the sandstone layer and other layers if encountered. The interburden will be placed in a mined out face of the mine as contemporaneous reclamation. Excess interburden will be stockpiled for use in final reclamation. The final clay blends are stockpiled by blend. As market demands, a clay blend is loaded onto a highway truck utilizing a front-end loader and hauled to the brick plant. The loader may use a grizzly, separating the large sandstone rubble from clay/sandstone and stockpile the boulders on the waste stockpile. The proposed affected area will be bonded and mined as one operational unit. The north 5.3 acres, in the southwest corner of the northwest '/a of Section 16, will serve as the stockpile area. The processing area will be established adjacent to the stockpile area to the south, away from the active mine area at the toe of the mine face. The stockpile and processing area locations will be consistent during the life of the mine. Based on market demand, the clay is hauled from the site to brick factories with annual hauling quantities ranging from 250 tons to 20,000 tons per year. The existing interior haul road and access will be used. No new roads will be constructed. The life of the mine is anticipated between ten and 15 years. Two to ten employees will work the mine during mining operations. Mining is campaign style mining. This means that product is mined and stockpiled once every 3-5 years for a duration of three to five weeks per campaign. Outside of the mining campaign there will be limited activity at the mine. Most of the activity will consist of hauling the product stockpiles to the brick plant intermittently every 2-6 weeks.