2013-02-15_PERMIT FILE - C1981020 (2)

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3.3 BACKFILLING AND GRADING 3.3.1 Backfillina and Gradina -Lower Road The portion of the access road on the Munger Canyon Valley floor was in place prior to mining. The road was only widened and graveled for mine use. The plans approved for the expanded mining activities included realignment, widening, installation of a parallel conveyor, and paving the road surface with asphalt. In reclamation the paving would have been removed, and the road reduced to ten feet wide providing continued access to the east for local ranchers. Since the expansion was not done, these modifications were not completed. No areas of the lower road are steep enough to present slope stability problems. Currently, the edges of the road are revegetated and the road bed is in excellent shape. The lower road is shown on Figure 2.2-7C. The Operator complied with the BLM Area Manager's letter of December 3, 1996 regarding reclamation of the lower portion of the road, See Appendix L in Volume III. Specific procedures implemented to comply with the BLM concerns are: • The road profile was left in place. One or both sides of the road were chisel plowed to a depth of six inches to create a seed bed. The chisel plowed areas were revegetated leaving an eight foot wide running surface in about the center of the road profile. The sides of the road were broadcast seeded with the Big Sagebrush Shrubland seed mixture shown in Table 3.4-1. (Although the sides of the road were revegetated, this area is not shown on Figure 2.2-7C since strips along the road are so narrow.) In the 2012 to 2017 timeframe, the two culverts shown on Figure 2.2-7C will be removed and low water crossings (fords) cut to the bottom of the streambed. No fill material will be placed into the drainage. Excess cut material remaining from the ramp construction will be used to backfill the sediment pond and will not be left in place at the fords. The edges of the ramps to the fords will be revegetated. :: TR-23 3-6 12/07