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MINING PLAN material into the active mining areas downslope from the reclamation. But if the reclamation is downslope from the mining, the mining pits themselves provide some protection for the reclaimed land. Heary sediment discharge from strong storms would more likely be deposited in the active pit, capturing both the water and the sediment, producing less damage to the reclaimed land. Such an event might introduce excessive fines into the mined material making it more difficult to clean, but that is considered to be more easily solved than having to regrade, possibly retopsoil, and replant large areas of destroyed reclamation. This is not to say that damage to the reclamation could not occur. It can occur irrespective of which direction the mining occurs, in either the lowland or the upland situation. Specifying the general direction of mining is a matter of reducing the probabilities of severe damage. Access Routes to Mining Areas: Besides the established, existing roadways that provide access for all parties to various portions of the property, separate access routes maybe required to mining locations that are not adjacent to or very near existing, established roads. Three primary conditions control the location of these access routes. 1. The access route should avoid crossing drainages, if possible. If a drainage must be crossed then the location of the crossing must: a. Cross at locations where no wetlands are present at the crossing or within about 50 feet upstream or downstream from the crossiug. b. If the drainage is active then provisions must be made for establishing water crossings. An active drainage is one that consistently carries water in a volume that would potentially wash out a roadway. Crossings near the head of a drainageway would very likely not require water crossings, but further down that same drainage where there is a well established channel the crossing would very likely require a water crossing. i. Appropriate water crossings can include anything from a low water roadway to a culvert, depending on the circumstances. ii. The object of the water crossing is to avoid creating a dam in the drainage and to allow water to pass without becoming severely contaminated with sediment. c. Each situation where a crossing is required will be considered on the basis of the circumstances at that location, taking into account on the ground evidence of normal flow volumes, the existence of a discrete channel, and nature of the vegetation in the drainage. Coal Creek Sand Resource Amendment 3 (2005) - M-1988-044 Exhibit D Page 20