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numerous 8-inch lateral pipelines to serve groups of solution mining wells; and 4-inch <br />individual well pipelines. Figure 3 provides a detailed map of the well field layout, <br />including the pipeline configuration. Total disturbance associated with well field piping <br />is approximately 8.3 acres. <br />3.5 Well Field Roads <br />Access through the Well Field is provided by the Well Field Access Road that extends <br />from the Main Access Road down to the Test Mine Area below (Figure 3). This road <br />was constructed in January and February 2000 and resulted in disturbance of <br />approximately 9.8 acres. Individual well pads are served by narrow one-lane roads. It <br />is estimated that construction of these well pad roads has resulted in the disturbance of <br />approximately 8 additional acres. <br />3.6 Main Access Road <br />' The Main Access Road has been constructed from Rio Blanca County Road 5 (Piccance <br />Creek Road) to the Piceance Site Processing Plant. The Main Access Road is a 24-foot- <br />' wide asphalt concrete road with 4-foot-wide shoulders. Disturbance associated with the <br />construction of this road is approximately 13 acres. The route of the Main Access Road <br />is provided in Figure 1. <br />1 3.7 Test Mine Facilities <br />American Soda's Test Mine Facility, located on the eastern edge of the 0 - 5 year mining <br />panel, was constructed in 1997 as a prospecting operation to both explore and better <br />' define the quality and quantity of the nahcolite mineral resource and to refine the <br />vertical cavity solution mining method currently under development on a commercial <br />scale. In brief, the Test Mine consists of a control building, two gas-fired boilers, a gas- <br />' fired electric generator, and one solution mining well (20-3) all constructed on one large <br />pad which measures approximately 13 acres in size. Two additional solution mining <br />wells (20-2 and 20-14) were developed to the south and southeast of the Test Mine pad <br />~ on pads measuring about 150 by 80 feet. <br />3.8 Additional Disturbance Planned for 2000 - 2001 <br />The most significant additional disturbance planned for the 2000 - 2001 reporting <br />period will be associated with the actual drilling and completion of American Soda's <br />solution mining wells. American Soda intends to drill 26 wells in the summer and fall of <br />2000. This activity will not result in any additional surface disturbance, however, as the <br />well pads and piping have already been constructed for these wells. <br />American Soda. L.L.P. 4 <br />DMC Annual Repott <br />i~iy iz.zooo <br />