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9.0 General Topsoil Handling & Placement Procedures Prior to February 2008 <br />The mine was initially started in a box cut in the southeast corner of the permit area. Mixed Lift <br />Topsoil and Lift A topsoil was placed in Stockpiles C, D, E and H as shown on Map 2.05.4 -9. <br />Additional stockpiles were created as the mine advanced. Once these stockpiles were created, <br />almost all additional topsoil was excavated and directly placed on regraded spoil behind the <br />active pit. <br />Prior to February 2008, some topsoil was stripped and replaced on the reclaimed area in a <br />single lift and other areas (the majority) was stripped in 2 lifts and replaced in 2 lifts. A minimum <br />of three feet of Bench 1 material was placed beneath the topsoil. Map 2.05.4 -4 shows the <br />actual topsoil material replacement thicknesses for the permit area. All of the area east of 2700 <br />Road was re- topsoiled prior to February 2008. The February 2008 date is important since the <br />topsoil on the eastern portion of the Morgan property was stripped in a single lift up to that date <br />and it was only at that time that the NRCS determined that the 98A and 98E soils were prime <br />farmland soils. Since the majority of the Morgan property in the permit area were 98E soils, it <br />was ruled by the NRCS that the entire fields would be considered prime farmland soils. Since <br />the historical management of the fields was substantial and since adequate water was available <br />for irrigation, all of the Morgan fields were considered prime farmlands. <br />Also, WFC had stripped a small area for Pond 013 in the northwest corner of the permit area, <br />where 98A soil was present. This topsoil was also ruled to be prime farmland soil and had to <br />handled accordingly. The topsoil was stripped in a mixed lift and was placed in Stockpiles 3 and <br />4 totaling 14,730 cubic yards. <br />It was decided at that time by the Division that an immediate revision to the topsoil handling <br />procedures was needed to address the requirements for prime farmland soil handling. <br />Considerable time was spent by the Division, NRCS, the landowner and WFC in determining <br />what procedures were needed for topsoil handling and what the final reclamation of these fields <br />would be. <br />Technical Revision 57 was submitted to the Division in April of 2008 and after extensive <br />adequacy review, was approved in early 2009. The revision outlined new procedures for <br />Revised September 2010 (PR 06) 2.05.4(2)(d) -21 <br />