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Mine development into the West pit and Section 16 areas will <br />' require initial boxcuts resulting in additional stockpiling of <br />topsoil. Once pit development has progressed and regraded areas <br />are available, direct haul replacement will again proceed in these <br />areas. Stockpiled topsoil will be used to reclaim the final pits. <br />Thirteen years of topsoil handling at Colowyo leaves little doubt <br />that there is sufficient topsoil resource available to complete the <br />reclamation goals. Whenever possible topsoil stockpiling is <br />avoided and direct haul is the preferred method of topsoil <br />handling. <br />The dynamics of the Colowyo operation to prepare regraded areas for <br />topsoil is at times out of sync with the topsoil stripping <br />operation that may vary from 3 inch to 20 foot depths. Typically, <br />the last loads of topsoil hauled into a regraded spoil area will be <br />left in place in a narrow windrow adjacent to the area to be <br />seeded. Since, in the spring of the next year, this is the first <br />topsoil to be respread onto the advancing regraded spoil, the <br />windrow is always left in place for less than one year. The <br />topsoil is protected from wind and water erosion by placement in <br />stable areas and avoidance of drainage bottoms where external <br />erosion might pose a potential threat. The topsoil is left in a <br />rough condition which combined with the natural woody plant <br />material removed with the topsoil successfully controls wind <br />erosion. Due to the temporary nature of the windrows and its <br />function in the yearly direct topsoil haul operation, it is <br />unrealistic to locate them on the Topsoil Handling Map (Map 28). <br />Topsoil in excess of the demands of the direct haul operation to <br />regraded spoil is placed in topsoil storage stockpiles. The <br />topsoil storage stockpiles for the mine plan area are shown on the <br />Topsoil Handling Map (Map 28). As can be seen, topsoil stockpiles <br />have been constructed in the permit area to handle material which <br />is in excess of current redistribution needs. The excess topsoil <br />has been removed from the mining boxcut areas, from haul roads and <br />from mine facility locations. The planned contemporaneous <br />stockpiling and reapplication will eliminate the need to move <br />topsoil stockpiles from one area to another prior to reapplication <br />onto graded spoil. ~~~~I, ^~~ <br />2.05-26 v <br />DEC 0 5 1991 <br />Mined Land <br />Reclamation n~„~~r.,~ <br />