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replacement is provided in Section 3.3. <br />No topsoil was stripped prior to mine bench and haul road construction, as this disturbance <br />occurred prior to the enactment of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). <br />Topsoil was salvaged from subsequently disturbed areas including the sediment pond, riprap <br />stockpile, and office facility azeas, and, with the exception of one small area addressed below, will <br />be salvaged from approved disturbance azeas where construction has not yet been initiated. <br />Figure 2.2-2 (Surface Facilities Map), shows site specific mapping of soils at an Order I or II level <br />of intensity. The mapping indicates that soils in the vicinity of the sediment pond and riprap <br />stockpile were Rivra Gravelly Sandy Loam Variant, and Nihill Loam, and office facility soils were <br />Glendive Sandy Loam. Soils to be affected by the proposed McClane to Munger haul road are <br />mapped as Glendive Sandy Loam, and a small area of Rivra Gravelly Sandy Loam. A small azea <br />to be affected by the proposed realignment of the access road segment at the junction with the <br />state highway is mapped as Havre Loam, saline phase. <br />Twelve (12) to eighteen (18) inches of soil were salvaged from the sediment pond and riprap <br />stockpile area, and 24 inches of soil were salvaged from the office area. <br />Information in Tables 4.4-1 through 4.4-6 documents the suitability of affected soil types by <br />horizon. Upper horizons of the affected soil types aze generally good growth media, with the <br />exception of the Havre Loam, which exhibits SAR values in excess of 40, within each sampled <br />horizon below a depth of 1.5 inches. <br />Because no topsoil was salvaged ini$ally, portions of the reclaimed mine bench access/haul road <br />may not be topsoiled upon fmal reclamation, and the mixed soils and overburden material in the <br />bench and outslopes would be used as plant growth medium for fmal reclamation. Section 4.4.5.4 <br />summarizes evaluation of the surficial and subsurface bench materials required by the Division <br />through stipulations attached to the 1982 and 1985 permit approvals. Analyses submitted in <br />response to the stipulations demonstrated that the material would be suitable for plant growth, and <br />that no special handling would be required. <br />Upon final reclamation, topsoil will be re-spread to a minimum depth of 24 inches in the office <br />azea, and 4 to 8 inches on other post-law disturbance areas and approximately 1 acre of the mine <br />bench. Sediment that has been removed from the sedimentation pond during particulaz sediment <br />cleanout events in the past has been demonstrated to be suitable plant gowth material, and has <br />been allowed to be placed in the topsoil stockpile. Pond cleanout material will be approved for <br />use as topdressing on pre-law disturbance areas only upon submittal of chemical and physical <br />analyses demonstrating its suitability. During periods of active mining, coal fines are a significant <br />component of sediment delivered to the pond, and the sediment cleanout material is not a suitable <br />plant growth medium at such times. The following stipulation is necessary. <br />STIPULATION N0.27 <br />SEDIMENT REMOVED FROM THE SEDIMENT POND MAY BE USED AS A <br />TOPDRESSING OR TOPSOIL SUPPLEMENT PURSUANT TO RULE 4.06.2(4)(a), <br />UPON SUBMITTAL OF CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ANALYSES <br />DEMONSTRATING THAT THE MATERIAL IS EQUAL TO OR MORE SUITABLE <br />FOR SUSTAINING VEGETATION THAN AVAILABLE TOPSOIL OR OTHER PLANT <br />GROWTH MEDIA. SUCH DEMONSTRATION SHALL BE BASED ON A <br />REPRESENTATIVE COMPOSITE SAMPLE OF THE MATERIAL OBTAINED FROM <br />19 <br />