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MINING PLAN <br />STEP 2: Overburden Stripping and Storage <br />As a rule, the material to be mined does not have much overburden present. In locations where <br />the full soil to parent material profile is exposed, a distinct overburden is rarely found. Instead, it appears <br />there is a fairly smooth blending of the sand to be mined into the soil with a distinct boundary only <br />evident between the A and B horizons. The boundary between the B and C horizons (horizon C being the <br />sand and parent material) is vague at best. Thus, unless this pattern changes in the amendment area, <br />overburden stripping and stockpiling is not needed. In essence, the soil salvage process includes the <br />overburden salvage. <br />STEP 3: Mining the Deposit <br />Mining of the deposit will generally occur along a north to south direction. Initially mining in the <br />current permit area will continue southward toward the southern boundary. It is suspected that a break in <br />the deposit may be found south of the current operation with a resumption of the deposit a bit further <br />south and in the permit area. <br />Mining of the amendment area will begin at the northern end of the eastern slope of the current <br />permit area. This initial cut will be along a west to east line. Once mining is well into the northern end of <br />the amendment area it will turn southward and proceed south through the amendment area. This pattern of <br />excavation is identical to the one used in mining the current pit. Thus, in the amendment area, the first <br />land to be completed will be on the northern end of the amended land. <br />As mining proceeds to the south in the amendment area, the current pit will be merged into the <br />amendment area through removal of the sand under the eastern boundary of the current permit. The final <br />result will be a large more or less level area east of Running Creek and above the groundwater level <br />surrounded on three sides by 3:1 slopes with the west side open to the stream corridor. <br />The private roadway currently running through the operation area will be relocated as needed. <br />This roadway is owned by the permittee. It is possible that the roadway will be realigned only once so <br />that the portion on the west side of the current mined area is extended all the way to the south end, to the <br />other side of the south fence, and then eastward to connect with the current roadway. This would avoid <br />the need to ramp up the final mined slope on the south side of the pit and would help avoid having the <br />road extend across the bottom of the mined pit where it might become very wet for periods of time after <br />large thunderstorms or major snowstorms. Because the road is owned by the permittee, relocation will be <br />at the landowner's discretion. The road, irrespective of where it finally ends up, will remain after the <br />mining and will not be reclaimed. <br />As mining continues southward through the amendment, the processing plant will become more <br />and more distant from the pit. It is possible the plant would be relocated closer to the mining area to <br />Miller Gravel Pit Amendment (2007) Exhibit D Page 4 of 5 <br />