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February 24, 2011 C- 1981 - 008 /New Horizon Mine NITLT <br />SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF MINING — Prime Farmland - Rule 4.25 <br />During the PR -06 review process, WFC agreed to retain all Morgan "Bench 1" material for use <br />in reclaiming the Morgan property. To that end, a portion of the Bench 1 material excavated in <br />advance of mining has been stockpiled behind the active pit (Photo 3), while the remainder has <br />been end - dumped in the upper reaches of the pit backfill. The stockpiled Bench 1 material is <br />clearly identified with signs as "0131" and will ultimately be used in backfilling the final cuts at <br />the west end of the Morgan property. The volume of OBI being stockpiled has continued to <br />increase as the pit has progressed westward. Material in the OBI stockpiles is generally grayish <br />tan in color (Photo 4), and consists of weathered sandstone and shale. Due to the presence of <br />occasional rocky, well- lithified zones in the in -situ Bench 1, rocks are not uncommon in the OBI <br />stockpiles. The presence of rocks in the stockpiles is not considered to be a violation of the <br />permit. No contamination of the OBI material was observed. <br />Once the replaced Bench 1 material has been brought up to grade, the top 2 feet will be evaluated <br />using the criteria of Table 2.05.4(2)(d)- 1A for Bench 1 Surface Spoil. <br />Lift A, Lift B, and Mixed A and B stockpiles on the Morgan property were observed (Photo 5). <br />The piles are clearly posted and identified with signs. There is no evidence of contamination of <br />the topsoil stockpiles. Slopes that were previously hydro - seeded and hydro- mulched appear to <br />be dominated by annual weed species, such as kochia and Russian thistle. The Division will be <br />evaluating the presence of perennial species to determine whether additional seeding is <br />necessary. The western portions of the stockpiles are newer, and do not yet appear to have been <br />seeded. These areas should be seeded within the next month. Erosion control ditches and berms <br />have been constructed around the bases of the piles. <br />TOPSOIL — Rule 4.06 <br />The topsoil redistribution plan approved with PR -06 divides the permit area west of 2700 Road <br />into eight different "zones" based on topsoil and subsoil replacement thicknesses. Zones 1 thru 4 <br />are on the Morgan property, south of BB Road, while Zones 5 thin 8 are located north of BB <br />Road. On the Morgan property, WFC has set up three sets of brightly painted rocks (Photo 6) <br />along the boundary between Zone 2 and Zone 3. WFC plans to install a series of signs within the <br />permit area to clearly identify the limits of each of the various topsoil replacement zones. The <br />information will be useful to both mine and agency personnel. <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 6 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 2 Page 3 of 7 <br />