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GEOSCIENCESER VICES Peter Kearl M.S. <br />February 19, 2015 <br />Carrie Sheata and Tyler Adams <br />U.S.A. C. 0. E. <br />Sacramento District <br />400 Rood Avenue, Room 123 <br />Grand Junction, CO 81501 <br />RE: Proposed Maintenance Plan to Repair River Structures at the United Company Facility on <br />the Colorado River near Rifle Under Permit SPK -2012-00125 <br />The purpose of this letter is to present a plan to repair damaged river structures constructed in <br />2012 under Permit SPK -2012-00125. Several river structures were installed to protect the <br />existing United Companies pit and the former Chamber pit near Rifle, Colorado that were <br />damaged by unusually high and prolonged river flows during the previous year's spring runoff. <br />Most of the river structures remain intact or sustained minor damage with the exception of the <br />bank stability structures on the Chamber's property. The spring flood flows damaged the toe <br />wood bench and the downstream rock vane. The lack of protective vegetative cover <br />contributed to the erosion experienced by the toe wood structure and the downstream rock <br />vane. <br />As discussed in the 2014 Annual Monitoring Report, the owner of the Chamber pit placed <br />animal pens on the bench that prevented the establishment of perennial vegetation. The <br />problem of overgrazing by Mrs. Chambers has been an issue throughout reclamation efforts <br />conducted by United Companies and is documented with the Colorado Department of <br />Reclamation, Mining and Safety. <br />Because land use practices by the land owner resulted in the inability to establish vegetation, <br />United proposes to install two buried rock sills extending from the edge of the toe -wood bench <br />and rock vane perpendicular into the river banks. As shown in the attached drawing, two rock <br />sills will be installed and one existing rock sill will be removed. The existing rock sill attached to <br />the downstream rock vane ended up confining and accelerating flood flows last spring. This sill <br />will be removed and replaced with two sills perpendicular to the river flow direction. The <br />downstream sill will extend from the rock vane to the lake side of the peninsula. The second <br />rock sill will extend from the downstream end of the toe -wood bench to the lake side of the <br />peninsula. This second sill will prevent flood flows from eroding the river bank above the toe - <br />wood bench that is no longer protected by vegetation. The area will be re -sloped. <br />2263 Kingston Road I Grand Junction, CO 81507 1 (970) 985-9606 1 peter. kearli�;hotmail. coni <br />