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,, - ---~- • ~II II~II~II~I~~~ ~II United States U.S. Soil 1826 E. Platte Ave., Suite #114 Department of Conservation Colorado Springs, CO 60909 Agriculture Service (719) 473-7104 / 473-0933 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Re,.. Snyder Quarry Amendment, Castle Concrete Date _..J.une•13, 1989 Company, Colorado Springs - - ' To_ Fred R. Banta, Director Mined Land Reclamation Division II)`.; 1~ 19S9 215 Centennial Building 1313 Sherman Street Denver, CO 80203-2273 Dear Mr. Banta, Following are my obervations and comments regarding Exhibit D of the Mining Plan submitted by Castle Concrete Company on the new amendment to the Snyder Quarry permit (submission date: March 3, 1989; permit no. M-77-210). My comments are based on the written text of the mining plan as well as an on-site review of the entire Snyder Guarry operation, conducted on June 12, 1989 in company with Mark Heifner of the company. 1) Examination revealed the quarry site (including the new amendment area) to lie within a relatively favorable precipitation zone adjacent to Williams Canyon, as evidenced by both the native vegetation on adjacent, undisturbed rangeland/woodland sites, and by the success achieved in applied revegetation efforts at or near the site. Although no site-specific records have been kept on precipita±ion at the site, regional precipitation patterns and records in combination with evidence from native plant populations indicate probable precipitation of over 20" annually. As a result, increased use of warm season species is not warranted, as I first had thought. The seed mix specified in tF~e /mining plan appears satisfactory, based on evident precipitation levels and seeding success with these species so far. Mr. Heifner indicated streambank wheatgrass has bean deleted from the mix, due to poor overall performance, in favor of additional pubescent wheatgrass. I suggested use of Arizona fescue and green needlegrass in seeding trials in the future to evaluate their potential for addition to the mix. 2) I would like to see more specifics in the mining plan regarding re-application of stockpiled topsoil over backfill material, particularly in relation to further describing the prioritization process and criteria to be used in assessing bench eligibility for intensive bac'r.fill and topsoiling measures.