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• • MINING PLAN <br />established to reduce the adverse visual effects on the Highway 115 corridor adjacent to Phase 1. <br />Once Phase 2 is entered with full mining, the operation will become much less visible due to trees <br />along Brush Hollow Creek obscuring the operation from all but a short distance along Highway <br />115. Thus maintaining the forested land along Brush Hollow Creek is important to minimizing the <br />visual impact of the operation in Phase 2. Unfortunately, there is no way to obscure Phase 1 and <br />thus it should be completed with mining as quickly as possible. Market demand largely controls the <br />life of aggregate mines. The stronger the market the faster the pit is completed. An option does exist <br />in the Conditional Use Permit approval to extend the maximum period of time, but such an <br />extension must first be approved by Fremont County. <br />General Methods of Operation <br />Soil attd Overburden Removal: Overburden and soil will be stripped using a dozer or <br />scraper, depending on the available equipment. The stripped material will be stockpiled at the <br />locations shown on the maps in Exhibit C. <br />The stockpiles, once established, will be seeded with a stabilization seed mix composed of <br />drought tolerant, deep rooted species as well as drought tolerant grasses. To the extent possible, the <br />same species will be used to stabilize the topsoil and overburden stockpiles as will be used in the <br />final reclamation. Some species used in the final revegetation, however, may not be tolerant of <br />south facing slopes. See the Reclamation Plan (Exhibit E) for details. <br />Gravel Extraction: Gravel extraction will begin on the southern end of Phase 1. This <br />extraction will then proceed northward across Phase 1. The gravel will be extracted using a <br />dewatering technique. This will maximize recovery and provide good control of final topography <br />on the pit slopes. <br />Phase 1 will be completed first, as required by the Conditional Use Permit. As Phase 1 <br />comes to an end, Phase 2 will begin. This Phase will be operated from east to west, toward the plant <br />location. It will utilize many of the same techniques used in Phase 1. <br />As will be explained in the next section, this genera( sequence will be temporarily modified <br />during the initiation of the operation. The first mining will actually start in Phase 2 rather than <br />Phase 1. This out of sequence operation is necessary to establish water source and sediment ponds <br />near the plant site. The plant will remain in the same location throughout the life of the mine. <br />Having a single location for obtaining wash water and depositing wash fines is advantageous. Once <br />these ponds are completed, the normal sequence will resume. <br />Grisenti Farms Gravel Pit Original Application Exhibit D Page D-3 <br />