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2008 Phase 2 Release Reclaimed and Technical Standards for Cover <br />Land Use Type Mean Percent Desirable Perennial Cover <br />Irrigated Pasture Technical Standard 71.8 <br />90% of Technical Standard 64.6 <br />Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Area 72.1 <br />Phase 2 release areas must not be, "...contributing suspended solids to streamflow or runoff <br />outside the permit area in excess of premining levels as determined by baseline data or in <br />excess of levels determined on adjacent nonmined areas." <br />The IP areas cover by this Phase 2 release application have been irrigated and grazed as <br />appropriate for the post mine land use type of Irrigated Pasture. Typical irrigation on these <br />areas involves the use of a sideroll that is fed by a diversion of the CCC ditch. Typical <br />grazing consists of roughly 30 head of live stock at time. <br />Prior to TR-58, Irrigated Pasture (IP) in the reclaimed areas was managed to achieve the <br />technical standard requirement of the permit, which was to achieve production of 1.5 tons <br />per acre. Irrigation was applied using siderolls that were fed by the Western Lateral and <br />Calamity Draw diversions of the Colorado Cooperative Company (CCC) ditch. In atypical <br />year, ditch water was available from the later half of April to the first half of October. <br />Irrigation start up and stop time was dependent on the CCC ditch flows, and varied by a <br />couple weeks from year to year. Grazing was occasionally conducted on the Irrigated <br />Pasture as part of contract farming, but was not conducted regularly. No grazing was <br />conducted on any IP area until three years of growth had established root structure. The <br />contract farmer was allowed to graze the vegetation to stubble, but otherwise managed the <br />cattle as they saw fit. <br />Following TR-58 approval, IPmanaaement was a little bit more specific, since the <br />management of reclaimed areas had to be duplicated_ on the IP Reference Area. Beginning <br />in 2007, the contract farmer grazed both the reclamation areas and the reference area to <br />stubble each year, unless instructed not to by the mine management. From 15 to 30 head of <br />livestock were used to graze the roughly 190 acres of irrigated pasture areas east of 2700 <br />Road, including the areas covered in this Phase 2 bond release application. Roughly six <br />head of live stock grazed on the IP Reference Area, again based on what the farmer <br />believed would be most appropriate for getting the vegetation to stubble each year- <br />Irrigation methods on the Reclaimed IP areas staved the same following TR-58 with the <br />addition of flood irrigation on the IP Reference Area at a rate of 10 shares for six acres <br />Irrigation has been applied to the Reclaimed IP areas at approximately the same rate. <br />Fertilizer was applied to IP areas from 2000 to 2007, when the cost of fertilizing became <br />SL-12 COMPARISON 16MARll.wpd 14