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OPAL CO. 7 CH 9~-6-A Any high capability land which contained slopes less than five percent must bs restored to high capability. Areas which were sot,prime before mining can be used for water err pit outelopee. Ice this case, bitch A-1 slopes from the .top to bottom are non- high capability Prime farm land cameo up on each aide of tha ditch. The eider elopes of the ditch ware constructed with topsoil. The permit met all standards !or slopes, soil types and land use, poet-miaiag faotor6 equaled or exceeded pre-mining use cn the permit (Tr. 144-48) If the ditch had only bees cut for n Z,6 feet water level, water would have been impounded behind the pit end spoil.and unable to pass through. The ditch was necessary for drainage to paea from off-site and move west to east. The drainage plan in the original permit for No. 149•ehowed drainage from Cow Creek. being intercepted and diverted Ca the aortheaet into the mice cut and discharge unit of the mice out lake. Ditch A-1, ere constructed, allows draiaage:to paea through the area unobstructed (Tr. 149-54). The original ditch plea was altered whoa the Applicant discovered that it would be neoeeaery to drill sad blast through hard rock, Ths company then had three options. The ditch could be run to the north through hard. rock sad virgin ground or to the south, requiring a larger ditch and running through virgin ground. The Applicant picked. the lowest spot in the spoil between the.activa pit sad the completed reclamation, utilising rock material to build a levy for o!!-site flood protectiea (Tr. 155-56, 186): plans to change the drainage from its original lunation were aub®itted to the State and were approved after.t)ae ditch Mss cnaatrueted (Tr. 163).. . The witaeas stated that graatiag temporary relief would net adversely affect the health sad ealety of the public or cause enviroamsatal damage. Rwlamation hoe been completed with only slight modifications needed (Tr. 159), The witness farther stated that Coneolidatioa performed a pre-mine versus port-mina survey of the 1Cadolph tract is ieolatioa frog the remaiaiag permit (Applioaat•a exhibit 23). The eaupaay coa~ared the avmber oP prime farm lead acres which . aziated prior to m+~ with the prime farm a:iatiag alter miaiaq. The Sadolph tract aoataiaad 67.9 acres o! prime farm lead and high capability before miaiag and 75 prima larm sad high capability acres after miaiIIQ was completed. There ware 33.8 prime Parm laced acres before mining sad 63.5 notes after mining. Poet-miaiag elopes effect the capability of the load sad determine whether the land oaa qualify ere high capability and prime farm load. ThR witaase said that the lcadolph property blends is with the general aoallQuratioa o! tho surrounding area. Sail piles ass graded to bleed xit7a the surrounding terrain sad