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Mining in Phase 2W is an extension of the mining that has already been completed in Phase <br />1W. The material to be mined here is mainly a coarse gravel layer that often occurs under the sand <br />deposit elsewhere. Erosion of the Fountain Greek watershed removed the sand deposit from this <br />area exposing the gravels or at least leaving it near the surface. These gravels are an important <br />resource. They can be mixed with the sand to produce products with certain specifications. <br />Mining of this gravel was previously described under Technical Revision Nl. Essentially, an <br />area of about two or three acres is selected. Th .Coil, if present (and there often isn't any), is <br />removed and stockpiled. Usually using a loader;l gravel is excavated and hauled directly to the <br />processing plant in Phase 4W. When the water table is reached, the excavation stops. In this area, <br />this is usually about 15 to 25 feet below the original surface, but it can vary. The vertical and <br />horizontal location of the water table in this area is extremely variable, and water isn't encountered <br />in some places. <br />Once the gravel has been extracted in each mined area, reclamation begins. For a detailed <br />description of the reclamation, please see Exhibit E, Reclamation Plan. In general, washing fines <br />are pumped back into the excavation to fill it to within a few feet of the original surface. This is then <br />covered with overburden and/or soil, and revegetated. <br />Prior to completing one excavation, often the neat and adjacent excavation is started. <br />Although this leaves a ridge of gravel between the two excavations, the gravel lost is insignificant. <br />This method of removal is more efficient than excavating the entire phase all at once. It also helps <br />to limit the amount of disturbance to only a few acres at a time rather than having a large amount of <br />acreage severely disturbed all at once. <br />Mining in Phases 3W and 4W is nearly completed. The material mined here is sand and in <br />al! areas it is mined by the same method. Phase 3W was previously included under Castle <br />• Concrete's Sand Pit permit, but has now been incorporated into this permit. <br />In Phase 3W the only remaining sand is located in the southwest and southeast corners of the <br />phase. These two areas compose the remains of the dike of sand that formerly separated the two <br />operations. That sand dike was removed under the 1985 amendment to this permit and the former <br />Castle Concrete Company Sand Pit permit. The volume remaining is quite small and should be <br />completely mined out in a year or two. <br />In Phase 4W the remaining sand primarily occurs along the west side of Academy Boulevard. <br />Although most of this send is actually in the highway right of way, Transit Mix has an agreement <br />with the Colorado Department of Transportation (formerly Colorado Department of Highways) to <br />extract this sand. The agreement provides for Transit Miz to pay the Colorado Department of <br />Transportation for each ton of sand removed from the right of way. The Colorado Department of <br />Transportation is aware of how the sand will be removed and what will remain. Transit Miz is <br />required to reclaim the land affected in the right of way. The description of that reclamation is <br />included in Exhibit E (Reclamation Plan). <br />• West of Academy Mining Plan Page D-3 <br /> <br />