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will be sufficient to achieve successful revegetation on the regraded areas. This determination is based on an evaluation of the salvaged material as well as the surficial material over which the topsoil will be respread. A portion of the remaining disturbed area will be retained as a ranch road which existed prior to the mine. In the aeeas where the rood will be left, it will be reduced in width and outslopes will be reclaimed. A portion of the mine bench will not be topsoiled. These aeeas consist of fill which was used for grading the road and original ground. Prior to issuance of the initial permanent regulatory program permit, the applicant supplied analyses from grab samples of this material. Although these analyses indicated that the material is suitable for reclamation, it was insufficient for the determination of reclamation feasibility. A stipulation was subsequently attached to the initial permit which required the applicant to provide further analyses of the fill taken to a depth of four feet. The samples taken in response to the stipulation were composite samples taken to a depth of four feet. The analyses indicated slightly elevated SAR levels and an elevated salt level. None of these levels would create a problem during reclamation if proper cultural treatments aze used. However, it was not evident whether one distinct layer was elevating these levels or whether the chemical chazacteristics were uniform throughout the four foot sampling depth. In general, the surface layer is the zone where any degradation of soil chazacteristics occurs on a mining operation through such things as deposition of coal, watering for dust suppression, and deposition of sale leached from neazby coal stockpiles. If the surface layer has been degraded by surface activities, this layer can easily be isolated during regrading. The applicant proposes to test the soil and add the appropriate fertilizers one yeaz after seeding and planting. The applicant's justification for this is that fertilization prior to seeding will encourage undesirable weedy species to invade the reclaimed site. The Division agrees with this contention in part. However, because phosphorous is relatively immobile and does not readily leach into the soil, it is best to incorporate it into the soil prior to seeding. The following stipulation is therefore necessary. Stipulation No. 7 TOPSOIL MUST BE ANALYZED FOR FERTILIZER ELEMENTS (N,P,K) PRIOR TO SEEDING. IF THE SOIL IS FOUND TO BE PHOSPHOROUS DEFICIENT, PHOSPHOROUS MUST BE INCORPORATED INTO THE TOPSOIL DURING THE RESPREAD[NG PROCESS. ANY OTHER FERTILIZER ELEMENTS WHICH ARE DEFICIENT [N THE TOPSOIL SHALL BE ADDED AFTER ONE YEARS GROWTH OF VEGETATION AT A TIME OF YEAR APPROVED BY THE DIVISION. 38