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6.0 Closure and Reclamation <br />The installation of tanks rather than ponds for the treatment system is expected to facilitate future <br />closure and reclamation activities at the Whirlwind Mine, because the degree of surface <br />disturbance is considerably less. The tanks can be disassembled in only a few work days and <br />hauled off site. Future closure and reclamation will require the following: <br />1. Prior to disassembling the tanks, any settled sludge in the tanks will need to be removed <br />and shipped with the ore to the mill for extraction of residual uranium values. If for some <br />reason the material cannot be shipped to the mill, it will need to be sampled and analyzed <br />in accordance with the methods outlined in Section 4.5 of the Mine Water Treatment <br />Report (see Attachment A) to determine appropriate disposal procedures. <br />2. After removal of the treatment plant and tanks, the disturbed area will need to be <br />regraded to it approximate original contour, topsoiled, and seeded. It is apparent that the <br />contractor did not remove all of the topsoil that was available within the treatment area <br />footprint, because the topsoil stockpile is relatively small and contains some large <br />boulders and subsoils that are not suitable growth media. This probably occurred due to <br />the presence of the boulders, which would have made it difficult to remove all of the <br />available topsoil. The following steps are recommended during future topsoil stripping <br />and reclamation activities. <br />a) Use of a backhoe or similar equipment to maximize topsoil salvage. <br />b) Chip and incorporate woody matter into the topsoil stockpile. <br />c) Segregate boulders and subsoils separately from the topsoil. <br />d) Strip the remaining topsoil from the treatment area prior to regrading during <br />final reclamation. <br />9 <br />