10
the Black Hills National Forest are listed in the Weed Management Plan (Forest
Service, 2003).
•
Buffers will be used around water sources, lakes, wetlands and riparian areas,
and streams to keep concentrations of chemical herbicides in water well below
those harmful to drinking, irrigation, aquatic life, and non-target vegetation.
Treatment of individual plants with aquatic-labeled chemical agents may occur in
buffers (Forest Plan Standard 4308).
2.9
RECLAMATION
All drill holes will be abandoned in accordance with WWQRR as mentioned in Section 1.3.3,
above.The goal of the phased exploration/reclamation process is to limit the total active
disturbance acreage at any one time. Reclamation of drill pads and sumps will be conducted
concurrently with other project activities in areas that are no longer needed for mineral
exploration following completion or abandonment of the drill site. Concurrent reclamation would
be conducted on roads that are no longer needed for access. The remaining temporary and
reopened roads and drill sites would receive final reclamation within 2 years after completion or
abandonment and will include the following: a) closure to normal vehicular traffic; b) construction
of cross drains, dips, or water bars where needed; c) shaping road surface to as near a natural
contour as possible, stabilizing with windrowed topsoil; and d) seeding all regraded areas with
the reclamation seed mixture in Table 2. The Forest Service would be notified prior to the
commencement of annual reclamation work.
Table 2
Seed Mixture
Common Name
Scientific Name
Percent of Mixture (pounds)
Annual rye
Lolium multiflorum
13
Slender wheatgrass
Elymus trachycaulus
25
Prairie junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
2
Western wheatgrass
Pascopyrum smithii
30
Canada wildrye
Elymus Canadensis
30
Drill sites adjacent to existing roads would be scarified if compaction occurs. Drill sites adjacent
to the existing roads would then be reseeded with the approved certified weed-free seed mix in
Table 2 at the appropriate time of year and at an application rate for optimum seed sprouting
and plant growth. The seeding would be completed using a broadcast method. The reclaimed
surfaces would be left in a textured or rough condition in order to provide protection of the seed
and retain moisture.
Constructed sumps would be reclaimed when dry, which may take one or two months, and
would be backfilled with spoil material, smoothed to match the contours, and the surface would
be seeded in accordance with the methods described above. Seeded areas would be monitored
for stability and revegetation success, during the spring or fall, for a minimum of 3 years until
attainment of the revegetation standards established by the WDEQ-LQD and the Forest
Service.
