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Mitigation Measure 4.3.4: The Reclamation Plan for the proposed project shall be modified to incorporate elements of a comprehensive soil resource extraction, maintenance and reintroduction plan. The ultimate goal of the plan will be to ensure the future productivity of the soil resource and its availability for future agricultural cultivation in compliance with the performance standards for prime agricultural land reclamation, Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 3707 and 371 l..At a minimum,the plan shall consist of the following elements: a. Existing Conditions. This element of the plan shall identify the existing soil fertility in terms of pertinent soil physical, chemical, and biological attributes. It will identify the soil attributes that are most able to be maintained during the 30-to 60-year life of the mining plan and will be used as the baseline, with which to compare the soil resource following reclamation and better enable rehabilitation of the mining site. b. Soil Harvesting and Transport. This element will identify appropriate soil harvesting and transport methods to limit the compaction of the soil resource, maintain the existing soil profile, and to the extent feasible during transport, ensure the viability of existing soil biota. C. Soil Stockpile Maintenance and Monitoring. This element of the plan will outline performance standards and monitoring procedures for the soil stockpiles over the 30- to 60-year life of the proposed mining plan. In general, this element will identify suitable vegetative species (e.g., legumes)to be planted on the soil stockpiles, monitoring protocols for any periodic analytical analysis determined necessary, and procedures for conducting periodic soil microbiology cultures. This element will also identify watering requirements for the stockpiles and protocols for pest and invasive species control. d. Reclamation Activities. Following the completion of mining activities, site reclamation shall consist of preparing the site for cultivated agriculture. Soil tests and climatic studies of the reclaimed sites shall be systematically performed to ensure that soil compatibility is suitable for a production level present prior to mining. An evaluation of deep ripping the pit floor prior to the reintroduction of topsoil should be conducted to determine if such procedures would help to alleviate anticipated drainage limitations. In addition, the applicant shall minimize application of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers due to the close proximity of(shallow) groundwater. A complete agronomic evaluation shall be conducted prior to plantings to establish rates of fertilizer and herbicide applications. (Draft EIR,pp. 4.3-12 to 4.3-13.) Findings: Based on the whole record, this Commission finds that with implementation of Mitigation Measure 4.3.4, impacts to agricultural productivity of the project site are reduced to a less than significant level. (Draft EIR,p. 4.3-13.) D.2.3. Traffic and Circulation Impact 4.4.1 12