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3-1 <br />• ~ 3.0 RECLAMATION PLAN <br />This reclamation plan addresses rehabilitation of the McClave Canyon <br />Mine located in Garfield County, Colorado. The area is located in a zone of <br />transition saltbrush desert and pinyon-juniper woodland. Precipitation is about <br />10 inches annually and soils are derived mainly from sandstone <br />alluvium/colluvium. Although precipitation is low, soils are more favorable for <br />reclamation than the shale derived soils of many salt desert areas. Research <br />and demonstration of reclamation in salt desert has been reported in the works of <br />McKell, VanEpps, and co-workers in Utah. A bibliography of those works and <br />other relevant works is contained at the end of this section. These works have <br />demonstrated the need for the use of adapted native plant species and <br />maintenance of favorable soil moisture through mulching, surface manipulation, <br />and/or limited irrigation. The land uses prior to mining activity were wildlife <br />habitat and rangeland. The site will be returned to these land uses following <br />~) mining. <br />Sites to be reclaimed include the mine portal and facilities area, the haul <br />road, the sediment pond, topsoil storage and the office areas (See Reclamation <br />Map, Figure 3.9-1 ). Of these areas to be reclaimed, all but the sediment pond, <br />topsoil storage and office areas were disturbed prior SMCRA. Removal of topsoil <br />is therefore confined to those areas, which were or are to be disturbed after the <br />enactment of SMCRA. That portion of the haul road existing prior to mining will <br />be reclaimed even though access for local ranchers using areas to the east will <br />be eliminated. <br />The distribution power line will be reclaimed based on recommendations <br />from Steve Don, Manager of Engineering with Grand Valley Power (GVP) (See <br />Table 3.7.3). The Operator, in conjunction with GVP, will remove distribution <br />power poles to pole number 341, the rest of the power line is considered GVP's <br />mainline and will remain in place to continue serving customers north of the <br />mine. See Figure 2.2-2 for the location of pole 341. <br /> <br />Mc Volume 1 03/06 <br />