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18-Right Shaft Project, yesterday to get some perspective on the observed problem of road base anc <br />other materials that appeared to be covering or mixed with topsoil along the road The Contractor <br />indicated the following, which appear to be consistent with what was observed in the field <br />Topsoil was salvaged from the entire road corridor and drill pad prior to further disturbance <br />Salvaged soil along the road corridor was windrowed along the downslope side of the road consistent with <br />designs <br />The road was completed in early winter <br />The source of the thin veneer of road-base material observed on the windrowed topsoil is minor amounts <br />of road-base that got mixed in with snow during road plowing operations this last winter and were left <br />behind when the snow melted this spring <br />In those areas where it appeared that rocky road cut material was mixed with topsoil- Any limited <br />amounts of suitable topsoil in the rocky areas were salvaged prior to road construction Because the <br />rocky areas were typically the steeper areas, salvaged topsoil from these areas was placed in the main <br />(pad area) topsoil pile. In most cases, surficial soils in the rocky areas were limited, poorly developed, <br />and contained a significant percentage of rocky fragments, so it was impractical to separate the soil, and <br />both the poor soil and cut materials were graded to the side of the road for future use in filling and <br />reclaiming the cut areas (rocky materials were not used in road construction due to concerns about <br />adequate compaction) <br />We obtained a sample of the road-base material yesterday and are having ACZ Labs analyze the sample <br />for typical soil suitability criteria. Given that the road-base material is asandy-gravel from one of the local <br />alluvial source gravel pits, I reasonably anticipate that it will meet applicable soil suitability criteria, with <br />the possible exception of rocky fragments. I think that, based on what we observed, there is general <br />concurrence that windrowing may not be the best practice far soil storage, and we will modify our future <br />designs accordingly, however, I don't anticipate that the minor amounts of road-base observed on the <br />windrowed topsoil will adversely affect soil suitability for reclamation purposes. I suggest that collection <br />and placement of the combined materials in the existing and~or additional soil stockpile(s) will be effective <br />in preventing any further mixing, and anticipate proceeding with this approach with your concurrence <br />We respectfully ask that you consider this additional information in your evaluation of the results of the <br />Mine inspection. Please feel free to call me with any questions or to further discuss any related issues. <br />As an additional item; we had the Shaft Contractor remove the gasoline can from the temporary pump <br />installation at the 18-Right Intake Shaft, and they completed a lined containment basin this morning for the <br />temporary skid-mounted lubricant center at the same location. <br />Best regards, <br />Jerry <br />