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Topsoil Redistribution Plan <br />Prior to any mining-related disturbances, all available topsoil will be removed from the site to <br />be disturbed as discussed in Section 2.05.3, and will be redistributed or stockpiled as <br />necessary to satisfy the needs of the reclamation timetable as described herein. <br />Final grading before topsoil placement will be conducted in a manner that minimizes erosion <br />and provides a surface for the topsoil that minimizes slippage. If spoil compaction is a <br />problem, the spoil will be ripped with a dozer to minimize compaction, assure stability and <br />minimize slippage after topsoil replacement. Where possible, development of concave <br />landforms (to encourage snow entrapment) will be developed on a case-by-case basis at the <br />discretion of the field supervisor. Such landforms will still have positive drainage in <br />accordance with overall permitted designs. Topsoil will then be redistributed and graded to <br />an average or variable replacement depth following the general rule of thin topsoil (0-8) <br />inches on ridge tops to gradually thicker topsoil moving down the slopes to the drainage <br />bottoms for the grazingland land use targeted areas. Colowyo will track the volume of <br />topsoil applied to each reclamation unit and report it within the Annual Reclamation Report <br />each year. Colowyo utilizes load counts and time card coding to differentiate and accurately <br />assign costs/volumes for all other material movement on the mine site. As such, Colowyo <br />will utilize these tools to ensure the planned and appropriate volume of topsoil is applied to <br />each reclamation unit. A visual representation of the general goal of Colowyo's drainage- <br />wide topsoil replacement strategy is provided below: <br />Qmnerto Cross e'aotfon ,tor Topsoil <br />Raplaon-t Op"_ news <br />a T"losl Drainage <br />o-zosg slope o-"Vn slops <br />-ice <br />/4rnonN! <br />Channal <br />0"-6" _eC4? o..-B"psOn <br /> <br />b <br />The grazingland targeted reclamation blocks will by necessity have thicker layers of topsoil <br />than recent reclamation areas due to reduced volume of topsoil that will be placed on <br />sagebrush steppe areas. Unless Colowyo provides specific justification, the topsoil resource <br />will be placed in a manner that is thin on the ridge tops and gradually increasing in depth to <br />the base of coherent drainages. Large drainage bottom channels that will convey water on a <br />consistent basis will receive little to no topsoil resource as any topsoil placed in these areas <br />will likely be mobilized and washed down the drainage. The full application of seed will still <br />be applied to these areas in order to minimize erosion and allow vegetation to establish in <br />these special locations, adding an additional dimension of potential vegetation community <br />diversity. Colowyo is moving entirely away from applying topsoil in uniform layers and <br />2.05-46 Revision Date: 3/14/08 <br />Revision No.: TR-72