2016-04-18_PERMIT FILE - M2016010 (16)

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Mr. Wally Erickson April 14, 2016 Objection to Permit Application#M-2016-010 Highway access is relevant in the context of general safety. The proposed gravel access road must enter State Highway 115. This is subject to securing an Access Permit from CDOT. Access permits are regulated by specific guidelines. There is no discussion of how those requirements will be met. Note that the steep grade immediately north of the proposed SH 115 access point includes a single northbound lane. This single lane has a steep downward gradient. Approximately a third way down the hill is the intersection with Paseo Corto, a major entry to Red Rock Valley. There is also a permitted private driveway south of Paseo Corto. Northbound access to both would involve significant danger from filled gravel trucks trying to gain speed as they travel down the hill. A second major objection element is the impact on the environment and bio-diversity of the area. We have lived here since 1984 and followed the creation of the Aiken Canyon Preserve by Nature Conservancy. We include a copy of their letter dated April 11, 2016 and concur with their concerns. Further, we believe the proposed quarry is inconsistent with the biology of the surrounding area. The third specific concern is reclamation. The Transit Mix proposal does not include relevant specifics for a successful reclamation. The ecosystem of the site and the surrounding area includes highly complex and significant conservation issues. The standard plan of replacing topsoil, "native" grasses and a mix of trees is not reclamation but a mutation of what was destroyed. Please refer again to the Nature Conservancy letter (April 11, 2016). In Tom's professional investigations and appraisals of fire-damaged lands that include pinion-juniper-pine environments, he found that successful re-cultivation of the destroyed biome is physically unlikely and economically infeasible. The fourth major concern is the impact on water resources. This area has challenging water availability. Red Rock Valley is within the South Colorado Springs Red Rock Valley Estates Water District. The District's water sources include several wells. The wells are located in heavily fractured areas that could be impacted by weekly blasting at the proposed quarry. There is also potential for water contamination. The Transit Mix permit application does not address this issue sufficiently. As a former District Board member, Tom believes it is unlikely that Transit Mix can show adequate support to show the lack of potential harm to adjudicated water resources. The application also notes that water will be used for dust suppression at the quarry site and presumably along the haul road. It states that the water source will likely be the City of Colorado Springs ten miles to the north. This will add to the traffic generation. An alternative stated in the application is use of on-site water from wells or surface rights. There is no indication given whether the surface rights are adequate in amount or appropriately adjudicated. Any well water use would likely require an augmentation plan approval, an issue that is not addressed. Most well augmentation plan applications generate significant objections from down stream water users. It is not unusual for the process to take years. 2