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San Joaquin County Community Project Description Development Department discretionary approval of a new interchange project. At the time of preparation of this EIR,the proposed construction year for the interchange was estimated as 2007. Project Characteristics Mining Plan The Operator proposes to either dry mine the site(referred to as Dry Pit Operations)and dewater the pit as described below, or the Operator may elect to wet mine the site(referred to as Wet Pit Operations),based on the actual amount of groundwater encountered. Both types of mining operations are expected to encounter groundwater at depths of approximately 75 feet AMSL. As described in the quarry excavation application(Appendix C),wet pit operations may be carried out in addition or in place of dry pit operations at the discretion of the Applicant, and for this reason,this EIR assesses the impacts of both mining methods. Mining operations would involve sequential excavation and backfilling of mining pits. Backfilling is part of the Reclamation Plan, described in more detail below. Mining stages and reclamation sequencing for the Dry Pit and Wet Ah. Pit Operation methods are shown on Figure 2-6. Under either operation up to 155 acres of the site may be mined,depending on geologic factors encountered during excavation and mining economics. Excavation and reclamation would occur in two pit areas,the South Pit (approximately 40 acres)and the North Pit(approximately 115 acres). The ` North Pit area will be comprised of two separately excavated pits that would be mined in three sequential stages. The two pits in the North Pit area would be physically separated by a roadway easement(see Figure 2-7). Quarry slopes of excavated pits would be 0.75H:1 V and would have a maximum depth of about ` 175 feet(referred to as maximum design depth). The quarry slopes would have 15-foot-wide benches every 30 vertical feet. Mining Activity Sequence Mining activities would begin in the southern end of the project site at the South Pit and would occur sequentially progressing northerly through Stages I,II,and III of the North Pit. The mine plan states that all staging steps are approximate and are sequenced at this site for operational planning purposes only. The Project has been designed to accommodate continued farming of the three sequential stages of the North Pit, concurrent with mining of the South Pit. The existing orchard at these stages would not be completely removed at the onset of the Project;rather,the areas identified as later stages of the North Pit would continue to be farmed while excavation takes place on other areas of the site. In general,as site operations progress through the(conceptual)project stages,the previously mined areas would be reclaimed to support agricultural uses ` DeSilva Gates Quarry Project Draft Environmental Impact Report 2_5 J85 0510505 r