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Mr. Buck Barnhart September 8, 1981 page -2- to be left between [he margins of the pit and these linesl 4) The Arkansas River and the Lamar Canal should be protected from sediment during the mining oepration. This is especially true for the Arkansas River if the general slope of the land is to the northeast. Perhaps a berm such as is shown inside the western boundary of [he affected land would protect these water courses. 5) Is the Arkansas River to be crossed or otherwise affected by [he mining operation? I noticed that [here was an access noted on the map to the north X of the river. If the river is to be crossed during the course of the opera- tion, the method of crossing should be described (bridge, culverts, etc.), and it should be noted that any land affected by the crossing and access is to be a par[ of the affected land. ,6) For the long term stability of the river-lake system, I recommend that at east 100' of unmined buffer be left between the northern lake and the rkansas River. This figure comes from consultations with our staff surface hydrologist. 7) Since the proposed future land use is wildlife habitat, the mining opera- tion itself should incorporate shoreline irregularities, if there is no real assurance that there will be overburden adequate for this purpose. 8) The berms discussed above should not be constructed of salvaged topsoil, but should serve to protect both the water courses and the topsoil stockpiles. ~!9) What fixed equipment will compose the plant area shown on the map? 10) At a mining rate of from 1# to 2 acres per year, the proposed life of the mine works out to be 22 to 29 years. Is this approximately correct? Il) Topsoil should be stripped from all affected land (including the plant f ~~~ site, roads constructed as part of the mining operation, and the pits them- W bti ~rselves). The sCOCkpiles should be segregated from day-to-day operations as P~r,r~ 5' much as possible. Any topsoil stockpiles left undisturbed for one growing ~SoJ season or longer should be seeded with a perennial grass cover crop such as 'yt ~ Tall wheatgrass (at a suggested broadcast rate of 6 lbs. PL5lacre) as well ,F~/ as Yellow sweet clover. However, the addition of a grass to the stockpile ~ ti;f~' planting would reduce the rate for clover to about 2 16s. PLSlacre, broadcast. P~~" The planting of the topsoil stockpiles with clover is an especially good idea `~rr°+r for maintaining [he fertility of the topsoil. p` ~~,R9' x/12) What are to be the working slopes of the pits? Exhibits E and F 1) As I mentioned under the previous exhibits, the shoreline irregularities ~„( of the lakes are very important, considering the future land use of wildlife habitat. The operator should commit to their incorporation in the reclamation plan, whether there is excess overburden for use in producing them or not. A map illustrating the reclaimed lakes with these irregularities might be useful in this regard. 2) I suggest that the two seed mixes proposed for the reclamation be modified as follows: a) The diversity of each mix should be increased to assure the Si ~_~°~ long term stability of the site. I suggest that you consult with the Soil Conservation Service to add at least two grass species to each of [he two S~o~ ""~` proposed mixes. The species given should remain in the mixes. Also, an appropriate legume should be added to each mix. Since yellow sweet clover is N h~ ~~/;e~,already to be used for topsoil stabilization, it would be the logical legume " to use (suggested broadcast rate of 2 or 3 lbs. PLS/acre). Since it is pre- sent on the site, sand dropseed might be one appropriate species to add to the mixes.