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25th Avenue Pit SWSP, (Amendment) Page 2 of 9 <br />May 30, 2017 <br /> <br />covers evaporation for up to 100 acres of exposed water surface at “Flatiron Gravel Pit Nos. 3, 4, <br />and 5 and adjoining pits”. Greeley will replace evaporative depletions associated with Flatiron Pits <br />3, 4, 5, and C under the plan for augmentation decreed in case no. 1999CW231. <br />Note: Pursuant to § 37-90-137(11)(b), C.R.S. and 2009CW49, a gravel pit operator or property owner <br />does not need to replace depletions that occur due to evaporation from ground water exposed prior <br />to January 1, 1981 as a result of open mining of sand and gravel (“pre-81 areas”), regardless of <br />whether mining continued after December 31, 1980. This office has previously recognized a total <br />of 45.5 acres at the Greeley West Pit as having been exposed prior to January 1, 1981. Per our <br />“General Guidelines for Substitute Water Supply Plans for Sand and Gravel Pits” updated April 1, <br />2011, pre-81 areas are tied to the physical location at which the groundwater was exposed prior to <br />January 1, 1981 with the exception for areas whose reallocation was approved by the State <br />Engineer prior to January 1, 2011. In a letter dated August 11, 2011, the State Engineer’s Office <br />allowed 30 acres of the pre-81 area to be re-allocated and memorialized. Credit for 15.5 acres of <br />pre-1981 area was not reallocated and may no longer be claimed. The applicant provided a map on <br />July 28, 2011 showing the specific location of the 30 acres of pre-81 area. The credits for the pre- <br />81 area are tied to the location identified on said map, consisting of Flatiron Pit 5, and may not be <br />re-allocated to other areas of ground water exposure within the gravel pit boundary. Any pre-81 <br />area that is backfilled will lose the pre-81 exemption should it be excavated in the future. <br />Additionally, the backfilling of a pre-81 area does not create a credit to be used elsewhere. <br />Depletions directly associated with mining at the pits, including the removal of mined product, <br />dewatering, and post-mining refilling of the pits, will be replaced under this SWSP. During this plan <br />period, operations will consist of mining of Flatiron Pits 3 and 4, and the reclamation and <br />backfilling of Flatiron Pits 5 and C using the non-marketable materials removed during mining of <br />Pits 3 and 4. The proposed replacement source for this SWSP will be water rights owned or <br />controlled by the City of Greeley in the Cache la Poudre River basin and credits from 138 shares in <br />the Boyd and Freeman Ditch Company. <br /> <br />Operational Depletions <br />The applicant has estimated that 371,000 tons of aggregate will be mined per year during this plan <br />period. The material will be mined below the ground water table in a dewatered state and not <br />washed; therefore the water retained in the mined product is considered to be 2.0% of the mined <br />material by weight. This amounts to a ground water loss of approximately 5.5 acre-feet per year. <br />It is estimated that a maximum of 6.3 acre-foot of water per year will be used for dust control <br />purposes at the site, which is considered to be 100% consumptive. Based on the above, operation <br />losses will total 11.8 acre-feet per year during each year of this plan period. The point of <br />depletions is assumed to be on the Cache la Poudre River perpendicular to Flatiron Pits 3 and 4. <br />The downstream calling right is the Ogilvy Ditch (WDID 0300937). <br />The applicant lagged these depletions consistent with Exhibit 4 to the decree in case no. <br />1999CW231. Specifically, the IDS Alluvial Water Accounting System (AWAS) program was used to <br />calculate the lagged depletions to the Cache la Poudre River. The following parameters were used <br />in the model: <br />• X, distance from the well (gravel pit) to the stream = 1,733 feet <br />• W, width of the alluvial aquifer = 11,503 feet <br />• T, transmissivity = 164,132 gallons per day per foot <br />• S, specific yield = 0.20 <br />