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Transit Mix Concrete Co. <br /> Response: There are numerous significant differences between Flint and this project. The water <br /> delivered to customers in Flint, Michigan was contaminated by lead;there will be no lead associated <br /> with this project. The source of the lead was the pipe lines that delivered water to the customers,and <br /> this has nothing to do with quarry operations. Transit Mix will comply with restrictions established in an <br /> NPDES permit obtained from CDPHE, and this will prevent any water contamination. Also,there are no <br /> chemicals used in the processing of the granitic material, and no sulphides or any other water <br /> degradation minerals were identified in any of the geologic investigations. <br /> Regarding water-use,Transit Mix will not use any groundwater or surface water from the property or <br /> adjacent creek in their operation. All water will be purchased from Colorado Springs Utilities and <br /> trucked to the site. Any groundwater intercepted by the operation will be diverted into Little Turkey <br /> Creek. These practices minimize impacts to the prevailing hydrologic balance by avoiding use and <br /> permanent diversion of existing water. <br /> Objections related to wildlife <br /> The comments referenced in this section were primary stated by various non-government organizations <br /> (NGO), specifically Aiken Audubon Society, Audubon Rockies,The Nature Conservancy, and the Pikes <br /> Peak Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Topics addressed by other objection letters are also discussed in this <br /> section. <br /> Objection: The quarry is adjacent to The Nature Conservancy's (TNC)Aiken Canyon Preserve and <br /> located partially within the boundaries of the Aiken Canyon Potential Conservation Area (PCA). The PCA <br /> was identified for protection by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) as a site of"Very High <br /> Biodiversity Significance". The Aiken Canyon Preserve and PCA areas contain one of the last high-quality <br /> examples of the southern Front Range foothills ecosystem, including tallgrass prairie, pinyon-juniper <br /> woodlands,and deciduous shrublands. The area is "one of the last high-quality examples of southern <br /> Front Range foothills ecosystems". The PCA contains an excellent to good (AB-ranked)occurrence of a <br /> globally imperiled (G2/S2) mountain mahogany/need le-and-threadgrass community(Cercocarpus <br /> montanus/Hesperostipa comata),an excellent(A-ranked)occurrence of a globally vulnerable (G3/S2) <br /> pinon pine/Scribner's needlegrass community (Pinus edulis/Achnatherum scribneri), and an excellent <br /> (A-ranked) occurrence of a globally unranked (GU/SU) mesic oak thicket community(Quercus gambelii- <br /> Cercocarpus montanus/Muhlenbergia montana). In addition,there is an extant occurrence of a globally <br /> imperiled (G2/S2) plant, Fendler's townsend-daisy(Townsendia fendleri). El Paso County also identified <br /> the quarry area to have very high open space values. It is part of a nearly contiguous migration corridor <br /> include BLM's Beaver Creek Wilderness Study Area,Aiken Canyon and Little Turkey Creek, and Fort <br /> Carson. <br /> The various NGOs and multiple individuals claim that the quarry operation will impact TNC's Aiken <br /> Canyon Preserve and degrade wildlife habitat in both the Preserve and the PCA. One letter states that <br /> the conservation values at the Aiken Canyon Preserve are the same as at the proposed mining site. <br /> Hitch Rack Ranch Quarry Response to Comments <br /> March 9,2018 7 <br />