1999-01-27_PERMIT FILE - M1999004

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MINING PLAN Reclamation Plan (Exhibit E). Subsoil will be stripped separate from the topsoil and will primarily be used as a backfill material on the quarry side slopes. In most areas to be mined, the soil is the Curecanti Variant. In only the southern and in small portions of the western part of Stage 2 does a very different salvageable soil exist (the Nunn series). This latter soil is a fine grained, clay loam and is easily identified in that few if any trees grow on the Nunn soils. This soil is not a problem for stripping and stockpiling. In fact, on the western edge of the affected land there is a large stockpile of this soil that was removed and stockpiled by the previous operator. In the northwestern corner and along the mesa edge is another soil (the Roygorge series) that is probably not salvageable, although there can be small pockets of good soil present in areas occupied by this series. As a rule this soil is filled with rocks and is a foot or less to bedrock. Unfortunately, the excellent Nunn clay loam soils constitute a small percentage of all the soils on the site. The rest of the soil, as stated above, is the Curecanti Variant. The problem with the Curecanti Variant for salvage and redistribution is the large proportion of moderate to large rocks present in the soil. Although this soil naturally supports good tree and shrub growth, grass growth is very limited. Therefore, simple stripping and replacement of this soil may not result in the kind of vegetation cover needed to produce sufficient grass growth to control erosion. Reliance on trees and shrubs for erosion control in the initial stages of reclamation is often a serious mistake because the cover is not sufficient to control both sheet wash and rill/gully formation. To address this problem with the Curecanti Variant and to create a growth medium more suited to good grass growth, it is apparent that the rockiness must be reduced. Many of the rocks in this soil, although subjected to weathering and therefore of somewhat questionable integrity for high strength uses, would be good for decorative and landscaping purposes. Some of the rock in the soil could probably be used for riprap. Thus, the larger rocks will be removed from these soils as a product. This will be done during the salvage process. Leaving some rock in the soil is beneficial in that it encourages more rapid infiltration of moisture, less runoff, and provides some of the textural requirements needed for a return of trees and shrubs to the site. Therefore, most of the smaller rocks will be retained in the soil, as well as probably some of the larger rocks. If the rock content can be reduced by 30% to 60% as compared to its natural condition the growth medium should be capable of producing good growth of both grasses and woody materials. Soil stockpiling may not be commonly done on this site. The arrangement of the mining plan will allow much of the soil stripped from one area to be immediately placed on mined out areas. If stockpiling is done it will occur adjacent to lands that are nearly mined out so the soil can be replaced at the earliest possible time. Whenever possible, immediate replacement of soil on mined out areas from new mining areas will be done, as that avoids double handling and greatly reduces the cost of mining and reclamation. In many mining operations, the cost of stockpiling with replacement years later is not a significant cost factor. But at this operation, any action that can reduce operational costs will be advantageous to making this operation profitable. Salvage of the soil will probably be done with a dozer. A portion of land will be stripped that will equal the anticipated needs for two years of mining at a time. Soil stockpiling will place the soil adjacent to the land where it will be used. As stated above, in most cases, soil stockpiling, if done at all, will be short in duration. Wherever possible, stockpiling will not be done. The soil will simply be distributed on land ready for reclamation. Topsoil (the neutral upper layers) will be separated from the lower more alkaline layers (subsoil). The subsoil will either be stockpiled near an area that will be backfilled or will be placed as fill on quarry side slopes that are ready for final grading and topsoiling. Table Mountain Quarry - Castle Concrete Company Exhibit D Page D-5