1978-12-07_PERMIT FILE - M1978352 (18)

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r Exhibit "E" P.ECLADWMON PLAN 1. End Use of Affected Land: At the completion of the mining and reclamation program, the entire affected area will be restored to the range character which it has historically and naturally had. Because of the semi-arid nature of the country i and the rocky soil , returning the land to range is the most commercially economical and at the same time the only feasible method of reclamation. There is so little topsoil or soil mixed in with the sand and gravel deposit that it may in places be necessary to haul soil in to facilitate the sloping and reseeding of the cut cliff banks and level area. The operator will do so wherever appropriate, so that a soil depth of at least 4 inches will be available as a seed bed. The slopes and flat land will then be seeded with a mixture of native grasses as hereinafter specified. Because of the porosity of the soil, seepage from the settling pond is expected to be extensive, and it is anticipated that no water will be available for irrigation. The Soil Conservation Service agrees that irrigation is not feasible and has recommended the mixture of seed grasses below with that fact in mind. The Ser- vice also indicates that it will be extremely difficult to work fertilizer into the soil on the sloped portion of the cliff during reclamation, but where feasible 40 to 60 pounds of avail- able nitrogen per acre will be added to the seed bed after planting . This will be done by the spreading of approximately 150 pounds of a 30-10-0 mixture per acre. Because of the naturally unstable soil in the area, mulching the cliff slopes would be very diffi- cult to do and of very limited effectiveness. The range character of the reclaimed land will be appropriate to other land uses in the vicinity. To the South of the site is