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By climbing inside each of the washouts one element was found to be in common to all three. A tubular hole about 1.5 inches in diameter could be found at the head of each washout. Examination to the north of the slope showed the source of the hole was probably a Thirteen-Stripped Groundsquirrel burrow. What appears to have happened is that the groundsquirrels built their burrows just north of the slope. Some of these burrows were a few inches under the surface of the upper portions of the slope. Along came a huge thunderstorm. The rain water ran down the burrows just like a storm drain, saturated the sand on the slope, and eventually the mass of the sand became so great the entire area slumped in a slide-like form with subsequent headward erosion due to a small amount of water flawing over the top of the slope. The area to the north is in the process of being developed. This will eventually eliminate the groundsquirrel problem, but until then there is little that can be done to correct the problem. Trapping would only open territory for other squirrels to move in and destroying the animals intentionally is not acceptable to the company. All that can be done is to wait for development of the land, hope additional damages do not occur, and repair damages that do occur. Some further comments on the lack of growth on the slope which was seeded in February 1986 may be in order. The soil contains considerable plant material and obviously produced good growth. Therefore, the lack of growth since seeding is probably not due to a soil chemistry factor. Second, the species planted should grow under even somewhat dry conditions. In fact, on the east side of Academy Boulevard, the same mixture was spread on the ditch slope and at the time of the inspection (April 28) the grass, although somewhat spotty, was growing well and had reached a height of between 2 and 4 inches. The area east of Academy was seeded only a few hours prior to the seeding this, the same seed batch was used, and the same technique and seeding rates were used. That slope, however, faces east rather than south. On April 28 the soil temperature at 2 inches was 71 degrees F., considerably cooler than was the case on the south-facing slope (84 degrees). Also, moist soil on the east facing slope could be found at about 2.5 inches depth while on the south facing slope moist soil was only slightly evident at a depth of 6 inches. The evidence is clear that the problem is inadequate moisture combined with excessively high temperatures. RULE 2.41(7): ESTIMATES OF THE LOCATION AND NUMBER OF ACRES TO BE AFFECTED IN THE COMING YEAR. During the next year, the west and south sides of the pit will be operated more extensively, assuming the ditch change is successfully completed without further difficulties and delays. The bottom of the pit will remain as a stockpile area. In essence, the area involved in operations will increase slightly, while the area under reclamation will remain very nearly the same. Page 4 of 5 Permit 77-213 Sand Pit 1986 Annual Report