2016-08-04_PERMIT FILE - M2016009 (17)

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✓08/04/2016 THU 12:57 PAX 7192813296 AIM HONE HEALTH 1@001/002 AUG 0 4 2016 DIVISION OF RECLAMATION Jason and Tina Potestio MINING AND SAFETY 41305 Olson Rd Avondale, CO 81022 Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety soo9 1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 C .'=sRecaWed ohjee!!on lane* Denver, CO 80203 To Whom It May Concern, The rural community is not in support of the proposed Pueblo County Aggregate Project. The main reason we are not in support of this is because of Its environmental impact. We are a farming and ranching community and rely on our environment for our livelihoods. In a case study done in New Mexico In 2004 it was shown that the primary impacts of aggregate, stone, and industrial mines are degraded air quality, disturbed areas on the mine and groundwater usage. Surface and groundwater impacts related to mining have a large Impact on our farming and ranching operations. There is often a large amount of sediment left in the water around these stone and aggregate mines. This causes significant degradation to the water supplies. We rely on both irrigation from ditch water shares, rain and groundwater for our crops to flourish_ Our livestock rely on the ponds, streams, and aquaducts for their drinking water. Poor water quality leads to poor crops, poor health in our livestock, which in turn affects our way of living. Other impacts on the environment are increased traffic on new or existing roads. Heavy materials being hauled in and out at a very constant rate causes breakdown on these roadways. This also causes aesthetic degradation caused by both active and abandoned mines. This has a trickle-down effect of lowering the real estate value of our properties. Let's face it people move to the country to see the country, not to see a Hole in the ground that has been stripped of its minerals and forestation. Very few of these mines become reclaimed or re -vegetated after they have been used up and abandoned. It is often the promise to the people In these areas that the gravel pits will be reclaimed and that is meant to put our minds at ease, however, if you take a drive across any rural community in the US that has had a mining operation you can see that this is rarely the case. Natural re -forestation may occur in some of these places once the groundwater has had time to return to quality enough to grow vegetation again, but this does nothing to fill in the large open areas remaining of the pits. Air quality is another issue with these operations. It Is often regulated that the air quality only be tested once every 7 days, which would mean that the air quality at any given mine is only tested 14% of the time it is operating. Mines can often choose what days they want to do this testing, which means they can avoid windy days and can test on calm days when the quality will rate Nigher due to the particulates settling to the ground. To summarize the many reasons we are not in support, I have put together a list of the negative impacts related to aggregate mining. • increased dust/diesel fumes on the haul road in and out of the mine • Dust from non-compliant crushing operations • Dust and sediment from the piles of gravel and sand at the site