GENERAL32494

• Permit No: M1973021
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Name: MORRISON QUARRY OF COOLEY GRAVEL CO AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN TWO PARTS PART 1A REVIEW OF THE 1972
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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Rehabilitation
' Plans for stabilizing disturbed soils and for blending scenic scars
with the landscape were included in the 1972 report and summarized in
Part I of this report. Those plans included recommendations for the en-
trance or haul road, the service road to the top of the quarry and the fill
for the operating area. They will not be repeated here. This section
will be devoted to the quarry itself.
' How to rehabilitate the quarry will depend in part on the ultimate use.
The ultimate use cannot be predicted. But consideration of potential
uses points to actions needed to assure the completed quarry will be
' adaptable to several possible uses. These include the following:
1. Restore soil and vegetation on the benches, This will permit
development of wildlife habitat, landscaping, or pleasant spots
' for picknicking or other use.
' 2. Maintain vehicular access to all benches. This is impractical
from within the quarry. If needed for a future use, external
access roads will have to be constructed. That is a decision
that need not be made until the need arises.
' All other rehabilitation actions foreseen at this time will not be needed
until mining ceases. They will mostly take place in the quarry bottom.
' Tliis leaves but two recommendations for rehabilitation actions during the
active mining period. First is to spread a minimum of 12 inches of soil
on each bench when it is completed and before truck access to it is broken.
' Second revegetate the soil promptly to native species to hold the soil in
place and to landscape the terraces.
No true soil will be available. That means a soil will have to be made
' from the "quarry fines" and "crusher fines" that are available. Soil
analyses of these materials are contained in Ta61e 3. These materials
provide a soil skeleton which will be deficient in water holding capacity,
' organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and possibly minor nutrients. Lacking
organic matter they also tend to pack and become hard and dense. A source
of fertilizers will be needed that will last several seasons, until a
' vegetation can be established that will provide its own organic matter
and nutrients.
Fortunately, a good organic fertilizer, mixed with the soil skeleton of
' "fines" should provide everything needed to overcome the deficiencies
of the "fines." Animal manures will do, but at this time we recommend
' aerobically digested sewage sludge, Table 4. The aerobically digested
sludge from the Denver Metro Sewage Disposa] District No. 1 has all the
needs.
' Recommended procedures follow. As each bench is completed, apply "fines"
to a depth of 12 to 18 inches. On top of this add aerobic sludge at the
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