2024-05-17_REVISION - M1977493 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Permit M-1977-493—Climax Mine E-1 Summary of Existing Reclamation Plans The existing Climax Mine Reclamation Permit includes plans for reclaiming areas affected by mineral extraction and production at the site. These areas include the open pit, ore processing areas, overburden storage facilities (OSFs), tailings storage facilities (TSFs), and other structures and facilities within the affected area. Reclamation practices that have been previously approved by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (DRMS)for use at the Climax Mine include the following: • Regrade to enhance long-term stability, promote reclamation success, and reduce erosion potential. • Install and maintain surface water drainage controls to retain or route water from the affected area in a non- erosive manner. • Strip available topsoil prior to disturbance, then spread or discretely stockpile topsoil on site. • Distribute and spread topsoil onto areas prepared for final reclamation at depths that most benefit the reclamation process. • Place temporary rock covers on the TSFs as needed to reduce potential water and wind erosion. • Incorporate amendments into final cover materials as needed to manage soil quality. • Revegetate with ecologically appropriate species mixtures, accounting for elevation and other conditions that vary within the affected area. Some of the reclamation strategies in the approved permit will be unaffected by this update. However, these strategies have been re-evaluated in this revision with the goal of minimizing post-reclamation maintenance of the site and implementing lessons learned from previous reclamation activities conducted at the site. This reclamation plan supersedes prior Climax reclamation plan submittals with respect to the sections included herein. All other aspects of the previously approved Climax reclamation plans remain unchanged. E-2 Reclamation Goals The reclamation goals of the Climax Mine have not changed from previous approvals. The overall reclamation goal is to achieve post-mining land use on all reclaimed land. In areas where revegetation is required to meet post-mining land use, the long-term reclamation goal is still to stabilize disturbed areas and create a long-term self-sustaining vegetative cover that promotes ecological succession and stability. Stabilization and revegetation objectives for the Climax Mine have been, and will continue to be, pursued with the best practical technology developed for high-altitude reclamation. E-2.1 Target and Surrounding Land Use Post-mining land use for the Climax Mine site will be a mix of Rangeland (RL), Wildlife (WL), and industrial. Generally, locations West of Highway 91 shall be repurposed as RL while areas East of the highway will be repurposed for WL. Approximately 3 percent of the TSF surfaces will be repurposed for WL where tree islands will be constructed. The pit and water treatment plant will both be repurposed for industrial land use. These land use designations are consistent with previous versions and permit amendments and are also consistent with master plan objectives of local counties. The land adjacent to the Climax property is primarily National Forest Land managed for various land uses by the US Forest Service (USFS), similar to those designated by Climax. The USFS lands are used primarily for recreation with limited forestry and grazing activities. Several small, patented mining claims also border Climax property but are not currently being mined. Figure F-08 in Exhibit F and Table E-1 presents the locations for each type of post-mining land use. Exhibit E E-1 May 2024