2016-04-19_PERMIT FILE - M2016010 (7)

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RECEIVED April 14, 2016 'APR 19 2016 Colorado Division of Reclamation,Mining an S DIVISION OF RECLAMATION d Safety &"G AND SAFETY 1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 Denver, Colorado 80203 Re: Transit Mix Concrete Company application for Reclamation Permit,Hitch Rack Ranch Quarry(#M2016010) To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to express my opposition to the referenced quarry permit application. I live in the Pifions of Turkey Canon Ranch,just south of the proposed Hitch Rack Ranch Quarry operation. 1, along with all my neighbors within the Pifions, am 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 Supply.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 Pifions 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. Wildlife.An independent and objective wildlife study needs to be completed,rather than accept questionable statements by the applicant. The proposed quarry site is adjacent to and contiguous with the Aiken Canyon Preserve(managed by the Nature Conservancy of Colorado), and included as part of the Aiken Canyon Potential Conservation Area. This area is identified by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program as a B2 site—Very High significance. It should be noted that the Nature Conservancy shares our opposition to the quarry permit. The quarry site is an area rich in wildlife. It lies between large concentrations of wildlife in the federal lands to the west and Fort Carson to the east,and serves as a major migration route between the two ecotypes. It is inhabited by a great diversity and in some cases high density of wildlife. Most notably,the site is mapped by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as Critical Potential Conservation Habitat for the Mexican Spotted Owl,a federally listed threatened species.The Mexican Spotted Owl has been documented in the immediate area.The applicant's statement that"turkeys are not common in the mining area"is ludicrous. Anyone who frequents this area knows it harbors one of the largest concentrations of turkeys in this part of Colorado. Sighting of turkeys is an almost daily occurrence here. Turkeys, in particular,are intolerant of industrial operations such as mining. 1