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• (Page 2) • <br />MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ZD # M-85-085 <br />INSPECTION DATE 03/05/98 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS RCO <br />OBSHRVATIONS <br />This inspection was performed by the Division as part of its monitoring of 112 permits. The <br />operator's representative named on page one of this report was contacted about the <br />inspection, and a time was arranged to meet at the site. He was present throughout the <br />inspection. <br />Very little has changed at the site since the monitoring inspection of 01/29/97. The <br />required permit ID sign is still present, and boundaries are marked adequately. <br />Slopes of the pit are well graded at 3:1 or less. There is still a small pile of crushed <br />gravel in the western part of the permit, and still a thin veneer of gravel over much of the <br />processing and stockpile area on the west end. <br />The topsoil piles are still in their prior configurations. There were outstanding problems <br />with topsoil protection, which are still apparently not corrected. There is no problem noted <br />in this report, however, under the topic of "topsoil" which will be explained below. <br />A significant amount of time was spent during the inspection discussing the specifics of the <br />approved reclamation plan, and general methods of accomplishing final reclamation here. The <br />operator's representative stated that the operator wished to reclaim the pit this year in an <br />effort to gain release from this permit in the near future. <br />With this in mind, and the great probablility that the presently stockpiled topsoil will be <br />moved to its final location during reclamation, the topic of topsoil is not regarded as a <br />problem, and no extra handling is required. The operator should note that this topic is not <br />a problem unless 1998 reclamation does not include topsoil respreading. If the topsoil <br />remains in its present piles, it must be seeded at the proper time this season, and a report <br />made of such protective measure to this office. <br />Little regrading will have to occur due to most of the pit slopes being at the final <br />gradient. The small pile of old asphalt material must be removed or backfilled into the pit. <br />If backfilled, it must not be placed within the groundwater level. The small pile of gravel <br />west of the pit may remain, as may the dirt road along the northwest edge of the permit, both <br />for the operator's future use. The gravel veneer must be scraped and piled or pushed into <br />the pit. All slopes steeper than 3:1 must be reduced. Compacted areas, such as roads to be <br />reclaimed and processing areas, should be ripped prior to topsoil replacement. Finally, <br />topsoil should be spread over all bare, graded areas, and the approved seed mix applied per <br />the plan. The operator must take care when retrieving all topsoil from the berm along the <br />south boundary fence, to not damage the fence or disturb areas outside the permit area. <br />Special effort should also be made to minimize disturbance to stable, vegetated areas within <br />the permit. <br />The operator's representative stated that slopes of 5:1 may be desired. This is greater than <br />what is required by the approved plan. If such extra grading is to be carried out toward <br />attaining slope gradients gentler than 5:1, care should be taken to minimize disturbance to <br />the surrounding buffer of land, presuming that additional cut and fill will occur around the <br />margin of the present pit. Be sure to not mix topsoil with other underlying strata. If <br />earthwork is performed carefully, the newly stripped soil may in fact contribute its own live <br />plants and viable seed toward the final revegetation. <br />The operator should note that the Rules cover situations where an operator may need to import <br />material into a permitted area during reclamation. If regrading to a 5:1 slope involves <br />