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_State of Colorado ~ Department of Natural Resources • December 28, 1976 Page three - (2-g) Conformance to Section 34-32-116 (1-b) to (1-r): Due to the small size of the operations, a minimum amount of new surface is being disturbed. The old exposed sandstone faces are so steep (60° to 70°) that no soil covering would be practical, and they have existed so long that they seem to be accepted as part of the rocky topography. Any movement of the thin dirt cover from the hillside above them would only expose more rock in that area due to the very thin soil cover. Topsoil occurs so mixed with rock that no separation is possible. The sandstone being stripped is moved as little as possible and mostly is left on the bench at the base of the present exposed rock. Some is necessarily spilled over the edge, but so much loose rock h,ss always existed on these slopes that it is not p~srtic- ularly noticeable. Most is sold as fill rock. Mining of the fireclay which once existed in fr~~nt of the present exposed sandstone was carried on fr~~m 1900 to about 1962 with most of the surface mining o.r near surface mining that produced the present exposu.ces dating back m the early part of this period. Tlzey show on the map submitted which was originally made in 1948. Later extraction was almost entirely :several hundred feet underground and was abandoned abou= 1962. All top openings to the stopes were closed by filling, natural collapse, or blasting. No mine water is being produced from any of the current workings. Reclamation has not been practiced due to the 1<ack of topsoil in the area, the steep slopes, and t}ie blending of exposed faces due to mining with na=urally exposed faces. The only other land use has been a minimal amount of grazing on the lower and less steep edge of the property. It would appear that the disturbed and undisturbed areas would be mainly classified as unusable as under Section 34-32-116 (r-II). The life of the operation will extend indefinitcaly, since no substitutes have been found for these materials in the manufacture of the applicant's products. Section 34-32-110 (3) Fee: A fee of $115.00 ($25.00 basic fee and $10.00 per acre) accompanies this application.