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RULE 2 PERMITS <br /> <br />Rule 2 Permits 2.05-19 Revision Date: 3/7/25 <br /> Revision No.: TR-166 <br />An evaluation of the success of this topsoil application methodology for the wildlife habitat areas, <br />including seed mixtures utilized, was conducted in early 2025. The evaluation of the success of <br />this plan indicated that the uniform topsoil replacement on the flatter areas required Colowyo to <br />implement greater adaptive management on these specific areas including greater erosion, poor <br />woody plant and vegetative cover, and an increase in noxious weeds. Application of the uniform <br />depth was determined to be extremely difficult for operators, and the overall plan was determined <br />to be limiting Colowyo’s efforts to successfully establish the appropriate revegetation in these <br />areas. <br /> <br />Post 2024 Topsoil Redistribution Plan <br />Starting in 2025 and based on successful revegetation from the 2005-2009 period, Colowyo will <br />implement a uniform topsoil replacement on both the wildlife and grazingland areas of nine inches. <br />The seeding that will occur with this topsoil replacement plan outlined in below in Revegetation <br />Plan, is targeted to the post mine land uses presented in Section 2.05.5, targeting the two rangeland <br />components consisting of grazingland and wildlife habitat (sagebrush steppe). The two land uses <br />are based on the expected species composition of the anticipated revegetation. <br /> <br />General Topsoil Handling Procedures <br />Colowyo will ensure proper topsoil resource management through various quality assurance and <br />control procedures. Procedures utilized to account for topsoil volumes include an annual analysis <br />of the topsoil balance, accounting for volumes in stockpiles, current and following year’s <br />reclamation areas, the total disturbance area, and the results of topsoil stripping activities each <br />year. Detailed soil maps for the permit area assist operations and guide management in preparation <br />and scheduling for topsoil salvage activities. Topsoil resources are generally segregated by area <br />(East Pit, West Pit, Section 16, South Taylor Area, facilities, Gossard Loadout, etc.), to ensure that <br />these resources are reapplied to the general areas from which they came. <br /> <br />During topsoil removal in advancement of the mining operations, dozers will be utilized to pile <br />up the topsoil so it can be loaded and hauled to stockpile or immediately to a reclamation area. <br />Scrapers may also be employed for topsoil removal as deemed appropriate. Topsoil salvage is <br />guided by the existing soil maps and resources available to Colowyo personnel. Topsoil salvage <br />is avoided during times of soil saturation, as a best management practice to avoid overly <br />compacting the soil. <br /> <br />Topsoil stockpiles are revegetated as soon as is practicable to prevent losses from wind and <br />water erosion. Stockpiles are seeded with a mix of native reclamation species to stabilize the <br />stockpile. All stockpiles are properly labeled as topsoil to avoid mishandling, and detailed as- <br />built information is collected to accurately calculate stockpile volumes as a quality control <br />procedure. All topsoil stockpiles are protected with a ditch and berm around their perimeter to <br />conserve the resource. <br /> <br />When topsoil is to be reapplied following stockpiling, topsoil is normally loaded from stockpile <br />with loaders and trucks, and then hauled to the backfill reclamation areas, where it is dumped and <br />graded for final placement. Topsoil hauled in trucks will be dumped strategically to minimize <br />handling and disturbance, and then pushed out with dozers and/or scrapers until spread to the <br />appropriate locations and depths. Reapplied topsoil will be graded in a manner that maintains <br />surface roughness to help minimize sheet flow and erosion while also creating microtopography