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acres. Access to the site will be from the existing gravel frontage road via three existing <br />ranch driveways. Colorado Department of Transportation Access Permits have been <br />obtained for each of the drives and they will be improved according to the conditions of <br />the permits. There is no change proposed for these aspects of the existing 112 permit. <br />The applicant is proposing herein a minor Technical Revision to the permit based on <br />conditions that have been imposed in conjunction with the issuance of the 404 permit by <br />the Army Corps of Engineer. The Army Corps, in consultation through Section 7 of the <br />Endangered Species Act with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has requested several <br />adjustments to the mine pits and how they will be reclaimed. In addition, the Corps has <br />asked the operator to reduce the size of the East Property Line to Slough Mining Area by <br />approximately 10 acres in order to further reduce impacts to important wetland and <br />riparian habitats. Several acres were also removed from Phase 1 (West Property Line to <br />West Horse Fence) and added to the buffer area adjacent to the river here. The operator <br />has been agreeable to working with the Corps on making these positive adjustments to <br />the plan. <br />With respect to the reclamation, the approved plan calls for the mined out pits to be <br />reclaimed as ponds For recreational purposes. The sidewalk of the pit will be graded at a <br />3H:1 V slope from the crest of the pit to a point approximately 10 feet below the <br />estimated water surface of the pond. From that point to the pit floor, the sidewalk will <br />be at a 2H:1 V slope. The material for the sidewalk will consist of overburden initially <br />removed and stockpiled in berms at the beginning of mining. Inert material that is <br />imported during the life of the mine may also be used for reclamation purposes. Topsoil <br />will be placed on the contoured 3H:1 V slopes above the waterline to a depth of <br />approximately 6" -12". Disturbed areas will be revegetated with a seed mix or mixes <br />appropriate to the site. A contemporaneous reclamation concept will be used across the <br />site to help minimize the overall area of disturbance. With this concept, a pit that has <br />been mined out will be reclaimed in coordination with the opening of the next phase. As <br />the new phase opens up and provides room for the operational equipment and stockpiles, <br />the previous phase will be reclaimed to its post-mining state. Thus, at the end of the <br />operation when the last pit next to the facilities azea is in use, all of the previous phases <br />will have been reclaimed and revegetated. <br />The Technical Revision does not change the overall concept of the approved mining or <br />reclamation plans described above, but merely changes the details of the final pond <br />configuration. The pits will still be reclaimed to ponds with an outflow structwe at the <br />downstream end. All other aspects ofthe approved reclamation plan will be completed <br />as well. However, in addition, there will now be an inflow structure placed at the <br />upstream end of the pond to direct flows above the normal high water into the ponds. <br />The inflow structure will be constructed at the end of mining for each individual pit. <br />Thus, three of the inflow structures will be completed prior to final reclamation on the <br />last pit. <br />