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<br /> <br />Bear Creek Quarry (M-1977-344) Permit Amendment <br />Holcim US Inc, 3500 Highway 120, Florence, CO 81226 <br />Phone (719) 288-1443 www.holcim.us 58 <br />2.5 Exhibit E: Reclamation Plan (Rule 6.4.5) <br />Post-mining land use will be rangeland, consistent with post-mining land use of BCQ. Rangeland will blend <br />successfully with the vicinity land uses and post-mining land uses of the area mines. In addition, rangeland <br />is suitable for the challenges of semi-arid high desert conditions of the area. Reclamation will improve <br />available forage for cattle. <br />Due to the extensive life of RCQ, 100 years, Holcim intends to initially post bond for Sections 24 and 25 in <br />Fremont County or approximately 30 years of quarry material. The bond will include reclamation for the <br />conveyor and conveyor service road, quarry infrastructure and approximately 1000 acres of limestone and <br />sandstone mining disturbance. The access road from the plant to RCQ and the Hwy 96 access road will <br />not be reclaimed. At approximately year 20, Holcim will notify DRMS that a bond estimate for reclamation <br />of anticipated disturbance in the subsequent 1000 acres will be forthcoming. Holcim will adjust the bond as <br />appropriate in response to DRMS inspection, comments and recommendations. Bonding adjustments will <br />continue in like manner for the life of the mine. <br />All natural material above the translime geologic layer will be salvaged. Native plant growth material <br />ranges in thickness from 0 inches where limestone outcrops to eight inches deep. The plant growth <br />material will be segregated from the overburden and stockpiled along the perimeter in berms <br />approximately 10 feet high and 100 feet inside the permit boundary. All overburden above the translime <br />layer will be salvaged for use in construction of the perimeter berm and final reclamation. The perimeter <br />berms will be seeded with a temporary seed mix to stabilize the surface. Stockpiling will continue until <br />approximately Year 20 when contemporaneous reclamation will commence. <br />Reclamation will occur contemporaneously with mining after Year 20 and continue in like manner through <br />the life of the mine. At the end of mining, all reclamation will be completed within two years. Reclamation <br />will include sloping benches, backfilling the sandstone pit and bringing up the elevation of the mine floor. <br />An abundance of overburden exists to the extent that benches will be sloped with ample overburden to <br />raise the mine floor elevation. <br />Two distinct reclamation efforts will be implemented to reclaim RCQ. The mined out area will be reclaimed <br />beginning in Year 20 using stockpiled overburden and plant growth material using traditional equipment. <br />At the end of the life of the mine, RCQ infrastructure including buildings, conveyor corridor and utilities will <br />be demolished, and footprint reclaimed. <br />Because of the 100-year life of the mine and ever-changing costs of reclamation tasks, Holcim suggests a <br />phase bonding approach. Holcim proposes submitting a bond for the conveyor and access corridor, <br />Sections 24 and 25 in Parcel 3, and the access to Hwy 96. This area will be developed and mined for 20 <br />to 30 years. After Year 20, Holcim will review the bond to progress into Pueblo County sections for <br />subsequent years. <br />2.5.1 Reclamation of Material Extraction Areas <br />Reclamation of mined out sections of the mine will begin by rebuilding slopes using the salvaged <br />overburden. A mined out area will be marked by up to 4 benches or 140 feet of highwall. Haul trucks will <br />transport the stockpiled overburden to the toe of the benches. Bulldozers will push the overburden into <br />the bench forming slopes 3H:1V or gentler (Figures 2.5.1-1). Excess overburden after rebuilding slopes <br />will be used to elevate the pit floor. <br />When the slopes are stable and the pit floor is at a suitable elevation, the area will be prepared for <br />seeding. The rebuilt slopes and pit floor will be graded with a motor grader and compacted. The topsoil will <br />be loaded into haul trucks with a loader and distributed over the graded areas to a depth ranging from 4 to <br />6 inches.