Laserfiche WebLink
New Horizon Mine 21-Apr-2010 <br />Topsoil Operations Page 2 of 2 <br />Lift B topsoil is underlain by "Bench 1" material which is typically highly weathered sandstone <br />and/or shale and very friable. The Bench 1 material is very thick on the Morgan property, and <br />seems to be in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 feet. This material can generally be excavated by <br />mining equipment and does not require blasting. Bench 1 material is not stockpiled, and is <br />instead hauled by truck to the back side of the open cut and dumped to form a thick layer (20 to <br />30 feet, approx.) atop the rockier overburden that has been blasted and pushed or hauled into <br />place. <br />Reclamation of the trailing edge of the pit has not quite (as of April 2010) reached the western <br />limit of the 51.6 Morgan acres that were disturbed prior to February 2008. The upper 26 inches <br />of Bench 1 material currently being placed as backfill will be serving as "suitable subsoil" (in <br />lieu of Lift B topsoil) and will be covered with a minimum of 22 inches of ]Mixed A and B <br />topsoil that was stockpiled prior to February 2008. The Division estimates that within the next <br />few months, topsoil redistribution on the Morgan property will be modified to incorporate <br />replacement of individual Lifts A and B. <br />Two December 2009 aerial photos are attached to this memo to illustrate the topsoil salvage and <br />replacement operations as they relate to the active pit. The first photo provides an overview of <br />the entire cut; the second photo is a close-up view of the same photo, focusing on the prime <br />farmland details of the Morgan property. <br />I hope this information is helpful to you. Please let me know if you have any additional <br />questions. <br />Enclosures - 2 photos