2016-04-01_PERMIT FILE - M2016010

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RECEIVED Fe: William &Marion Baker APR 0 1 2016 3375 Turkey Canon Ranch Road DIVISION OF RECLAMATION Colorado Springs,Colorado MINING AND SAFETY 80926 March 28,2016 Colorado Division of Reclamation,Mining and Safety 1313 Sherman Street,Room 215 Denver,Colorado 80203 Re:Transit Mix Concrete Company application for Reclamation Permit,Hitch Rack Ranch Quarry (#M2016010) Dear Madam or Sir, We hereby request the study period be extended,prior to considering the Transit Mix application. While Transit Mix has been studying this project for two and one-half years,we were only made aware of their permit application in early March of this year.We are at a clear disadvantage in that we have only five weeks to study the 809 page Transit Mix permit application,consult with stakeholders and subject matter experts to analyze the potential impacts,and work with the various regulatory agencies involved in the review and approval process. That said,based on our investigations thus far,the owners and residents within the general area are unanimously opposed to bringing yet another large-scale aggregate mining operation to our community, in addition to the three quarries already in service along a five mile stretch of Highway 115.Significant constraints to additional quarry development exist in the area,including limited water supplies,a fragile groundwater system,rich wildlife and vegetation resources,public health and safety,air and noise contamination,compromised transportation within the community,traffic hazards along Highway 115,existing quarries that satisfy the demand,violation of current development plans for the area,proximity to local residents,and limited or no alternatives for residents. Water Sappy.All residents along the Highway 115 corridor depend on ground water for their domestic water supply.With the exception of Red Rock Valley,Rock Creek Mesa and the Pinons of Turkey Canon Ranch(which are on central well systems),residents are served by individual wells. These wells likely depend on the fracture system within the granitic rock for water supply,while wells in the adjacent upturned sedimentary rocks may depend upon both these fracture systems and infiltration along the granite-sedimentary rock boundary for recharge.This situation makes such wells dependent on the quality of the recharging surface water and highly susceptible to contamination.Contamination from mining operations can travel very quickly through the fracture system to affect domestic wells.The very geology and topography of the proposed Hitch Rack Ranch Quarry site makes such effects exceedingly difficult to predict.Further,the effect from blasting operations(which Transit Mix proposes to conduct two or three times each week)on the fracture system will likely exacerbate the problem,and is equally difficult to predict. 1