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11. Water Handling <br /> Western Gravel owns 26.4 shares of the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association project <br /> water. This water was used for irrigation of the majority of the property before the gravel pit <br /> was permitted in 1984. After the pit was permitted, no irrigation occurred on the property and <br /> the land became dry range that was not disturbed by mining. The Division of Water Resources <br /> required that a Well Permit and an Augmentation Plan be filed and approved for the <br /> consumptive use from any mining activity and the evaporation from the two ponds. These <br /> calculations were submitted to the DWR and approved. Each water share equals 0.02 cfs or 5.0 <br /> acre feet per year per share. The calculations showed that the UVWUA water allowed <br /> compensation for all consumptive use except for 0.5 acre feet per year. This water was decreed <br /> to be purchased from the Blue Mesa Reservoir, which has been done every year since 2010. <br /> The attached decree for Case 1 OCW095 demonstrates this compliance. The Well permit <br /> allows for the evaporation from a maximum of 4.6 acres of pond surface. The total of the two <br /> ponds will be no greater than 1.87 ac and 2.66 ac for a total of 4.53 acres. <br /> Western Gravel commits to no new exposure of groundwater for the operation. <br /> On December 4, 2017, a final decree was issued (Case No. 2017CW3041) which made the <br /> following water rights of Western Gravel, Inc. absolute rights: <br /> Olathe Gravel Pit South Well: 8.76 ac-ft <br /> Olathe Gravel Pit North Well: 7.75 ac-ft <br /> Total water rights made absolute due to use: 16.51 acre feet. <br /> See information provided below regarding the water rights to account for the consumptive uses <br /> on site. <br /> Olathe Pit, 2018 <br />