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depth of 8"to 12" (original plan called for 6"to 12") and seeded as soon as planting conditions are <br /> favorable. However,roads that need to cross an area that otherwise is no longer used in the mining <br /> shall remain on the gravel floor until the road is no longer useful. It is then treated with soil and <br /> seeded for revegetation. <br /> OLD AREAS AT THE NORTH END: (This is a new section that was not <br /> included in the original plan because it was not needed.) Under the Cooley Gravel Plan this old area <br /> where the original mining operation began was considered by Cooley as a topsoil and overburden <br /> stockpile area. And it has generally been used as that,plus a large sediment basin that was active <br /> during the first wash plant operation between about 1999 and 2003 or 2004. Significant portions of <br /> this land right on the east side of Charter Oak Ranch Road currently has excellent vegetation growth <br /> that is 2 to 3 decades old and predates the 2002 drought. The sediment basin was never seeded but has <br /> been invaded by the same species of grasses in the surrounding areas,plus many natives as well as <br /> various species of trees and more wetland shrubs. The gentle south facing slope on the north end is a <br /> mixed grass community with moderate density and the east slopes bounding the excavated area are <br /> somewhat terraced and for the most part only need to be graded to 3:1 but there is not a lot of <br /> vegetation growing on those east slopes(west facing). However, there is a scattered grass invasion on <br /> these younger slopes. Drainage is well controlled and little to moderate erosion has occurred. The lack <br /> of severe erosion is mainly because the surface is rough. <br /> The problem with these areas now is that they are very far from the areas where the materials <br /> here could be used for reclamation purposes. And they are too far to continue hauling more materials <br /> for stockpiling here. It is not that none of this material can be used, but the very high cost of <br /> transportation such a long distance (up to a mile each way)means that this material can economically <br /> only be used on a selective basis. There are some quality soils stockpiled in some places right near the <br /> north end that are accessible and would be useful for covering areas where quality soil is needed. But <br /> hauling overburden probably would not be worth the cost unless there was a shortage at some point. <br /> However,because the overburden is about 9 feet deep in future areas to be mined then for every acre <br /> of undisturbed overburden stripped at least 9 acres of pit bottom can be covered. <br /> The well vegetated material on the east side of Charter Oak Ranch Road will be examined <br /> quite carefully from a vegetation point of view. The growth here is so dense that disturbing this to <br /> Fountain Pit Technical Revision#3 - June 2022 M-1982-155 Reclamation Plan Page 12 of 23 <br />