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<br />~i <br />EXHIBIT C: MINING PLAN <br />Received <br />JU(1219gg <br />aNlsiDon o~ 9o F~~ GH <br />ke <br />(al Period of Operation: Sierra Minerals Corporation (Sierra) desires to begin gMua~s & Geology <br />operations in August of 1999. Colorado Yule Marble Company (CYMC) operated the quarry <br />beginning in September of 1990 up until January of 1999 when the company failed. Sierra has <br />leased the quarry for 35 yeazs, and holds an option to lease the quatty for an additiona135 years. <br />Reserves aze sufficient to support a mine life well beyond the 70 years covered by the lease. <br />Siena intends to operate the mine for at least 20 years. This is the time period envisioned for the <br />term of this permit. <br />(b) Topsoil: The topsoil in the affected azea is very thin to non-existent and found in <br />small pockets on the generally rocky landscape. However, there is an area of about'/, acre to the <br />south of the existing waste piles where salvage of topsoil appears feasible. Siena will recover <br />these soils and create a topsoil stockpile at the southern boundary of the affected area before <br />waste is deposited in this area. Such topsoil piles will be placed to avoid contamination with <br />rock or other materials, out of traffic azeas, and not in areas where the material would be lost to <br />erosion <br />(c) Overburden apd Waste Roek: The quarry is an underground operation and will <br />remove material from areas already developed in the marble seam underground. Additional <br />entries may be driven to the south of existing entries, but within the affected area, to allow <br />removal of material from newly developed azeas. There aze existing waste marble piles that <br />remain from prior operators. Most of the waste was generated from quarrying activities that <br />occurred between 1886 and 1941. Exhibit E -Mining Plan Map, with a background of an aerial <br />photo of the quarry site, clearly shows the surface extent of these waste piles prior to 1990 with <br />the marble's characteristic brilliant white color. The background photograph was taken prior to <br />the operating activities of CYMC. CYMC's activities involved the construction of the private <br />access mad, extension of existing waste piles a few tens of feet to the north, east, and south, <br />construction of access roads on the existing waste piles, and construction of stormwater control <br />features. Sietta anticipates no significant additions to these features, ahhough portions of the <br />roads may be extended slightly or relocated to allow efficient placement of waste mazble and the <br />marble waste piles will be extended to the east and south. <br />The operation will generate low volumes of waste marble. Production rates anticipated <br />by Sierra aze between 4,000 and 16,000 short tons of dimension stone annually. Such operations <br />are expected to generate an equal tonnage of waste blocks, gravel, and saw cutting fines. The <br />fines will be small, nvnus 50 mesh, and will be high in moisture content (estimated higher than <br />50% moisture) when placed upon the waste dumps. The materials will be blended in the dumps <br />to prevent the fines from causing sediment runoff, wind entrainment, and to effectively utilized <br />the waste area capacity by filling voids between the larger waste rocks. Some of the waste <br />materials may be removed from the site if suitable uses and mazkets can be developed for them. <br />Sierra will not dump fines on the waste piles until the effectiveness of the sediment control <br />structure is reestablished, nor will Siena dump waste blocks in any azea where CYMC may have <br />caused damage that is a problem and/or possible violation of its permit. Sierra plans no dumping <br />IS <br />