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' iii iiiiiiiiiiiu iii ' <br />999 <br />• EXHIBIT E <br />RECLAMATION PLAN <br />(Please refer to Exhibits F, F-I, and F-2 -Reclamation Plan Maps) <br />During mining operations, units or blocks of areas that have been mined will <br />be ready for reclamation. These units or blocks will follow the general mine <br />sequence plan in order that the amount of reclamation will approximate the <br />area disturbed for that year. There will be a lag in reclamation during early <br />operations resulting in more acres disturbed than are reclaimed due to <br />stockpiles, the opening of new excavations, roads, etc. <br />As mining is completed in a block, overburden materials will be backfilled <br />into the pit. Rough grading will be done to achieve the posimining con- <br />tours. Topsoil will be spread on the rough graded overburden and any final <br />grading will then take place. Rough grading of the overburden will create a <br />surface that minimizes the chance of topsoil slippage. The minimum topsoil <br />replacement depth will be 18 inches (see Exhibit I "Soils Information" for <br />• discussion of topsoil salvage and soil characteristics). Any opportunities for <br />direct hauling of topsoil from the salvage areas to graded overburden will be <br />used to maintain topsoil qualities and reduce the handling and overall logis- <br />tics involved in topsoil salvage (see Table E-I for year-by-year replacement). <br />The designed postmining topography will maintain the formability of the <br />proposed site, reestablish drainage, and insure that large depressions or areas <br />that might collect water (i.e. closed drainage) will not occur. These mea- <br />sures are being done to keep slopes formable and reduce the chances of <br />winter killed wheat or extending the wet spring season which inhibits access <br />and farming operations. <br />Reclamation efforts will return the area to the premining land use of crop- <br />land. As discussed in the Vegetation Information (Exhibit J), the area has <br />been historically cropped to small grains using summer fallow methods. The <br />many years of cropping, tillage, and lack of adequate fertilization have <br />taken their toll on The soil system. Organic matter levels have dropped from <br />• 5 to 6 percent found in similar undistrubed soils to 1.6 to 2.1 percent found <br />E-I <br />