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needs will equal approximately 68,000 CY. The remaining 15,000 CY of topsoil will likely be sold off site, but may be used as backfill in other areas of the site. Excess topsoil and overburden will be stockpiled in the unmined areas directly north and south of Mine Area Two. Water. The Applicant has prepared two hydrogeologic studies for the State (both the DMG and the State Engineer's Office), which address the Division's concerns regarding potential impacts to adjacent landowners. One report focuses on the projects impact on nearby wells. The other report focuses specifically on the Sage Hill Farm wetlands. The studies are included with this correspondence for your review. The Applicant has already begun monitoring of well levels on the Nix property. The Applicant has also installed one piezometer on the Mayer's property immediately to the south of the Nix site, and 3 additional piezometers on Cynthia Parker's property, which is also located immediately to the south of the Nix site. Several additional piezometers have also been added along the southern boundary of the Nix property. Locations of these monitoring wells can be found on the attached map, labeled Monitoring Well Locations. Additionally, the Applicant has committed to monitoring existing wells of adjacent landowners who wish to have their wells monitored. Mining Methods. Per your suggestion, the Applicant has committed to mining the slopes at a minimum 2H:1V ratio, leaving the mined slopes at the desired reclaimed angle. Also, the Applicant has committed to wet mining the property rather than dry-mining as originally proposed in the Application. Wet mining will be by dredge. As is evidenced by the attached groundwater and wetland studies, this will greatly reduce, and in most cases eliminate, any adverse impacts that mining at the Nix property may have on neighboring properties and neighboring wells. Also, mining sequence will follow the numbering of the new mine cells. Mine Area 1 will be mined first, followed by Mine Area Two, then Three, and so on and so forth. 6.4.5 Exhibit E -Reclamation Plan Importation of Material: Due to the revised mine plan, brought about by agreements with the appropriate oil and gas companies to move some oil and gas pipelines and suggestions resulting from the water studies, our volume calculations have changed from what was originally submitted with the application. Mining out of one of the areas holding anorth-south running pipeline will free up additional overburden and topsoil during the stripping operations and will reduce the length of shoreline needing backfill and thus the amount of overburden required to complete reclamation. According to our new figures, as outlined in the attached table, Owens Brothers will have a surplus of approximately 1,000,000 CY of overburden. Under this scenario, importation of off-site fill material will not be needed to complete reclamation of the Nix Sand and Gravel Mine. Weed Control Plan: As with any area, the potential for noxious weed invasion exists for the Nix property. The Applicant will control weeds by instituting the following plan: The presence of noxious weeds will be monitored on asemi-annual basis. Noxious weed species management will occur where a single or combination of noxious weed species comprises more than 10% of the live vegetation in the reclaimed areas. In the event that noxious weed species constitute more than 25% cover in an area of 200 square feet, such area will be identified as a patch and will be subject to management measures, irrespective of the percentage of overall weed cover in the reclaimed areas.