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thirteen to twenty-three acres will be mined per stage. Reclamation will be <br />concurrent with the mining operations as each phase is completed. <br />12. Each mined pit will be lined with compacted clay, and Applicant will <br />install a perimeter drain to facilitate drainage of groundwater around each pit. <br />Final pit acreage will leave two larger pits and a water management pond, which <br />will be used throughout the mining operation. <br />13. Groundwater in the area of the Knox Pit is between three to eight feet <br />below the surface. The Knox Pit site is approximately 2500 feet from the Poudre <br />River, and groundwater flows through alluvium from the northwest to the southeast <br />toward the river. <br />14. The site is bordered by the Taylor and Gill irrigation ditch to the west <br />and bisected by the Little Cache La Poudre irrigation ditch. The site is surrounded <br />by a mix of agricultural and residential areas, and there are several wells in the <br />area. <br />Hydrologic Balance <br />15. Because the aggregate to be mined will often be below the groundwater <br />level, the proposed mining plan has the potential to impact groundwater quality <br />and quantity, either through mounding following the installation of pit liners or <br />during the drawdown and dewatering process as the aggregate is mined. <br />16. Applicant has installed monitoring wells and is currently monitoring <br />water quality. There will be a total of fourteen monitoring wells, thirteen onsite <br />and one off-site. Four of the wells will monitor water quality. <br />17. Objectors raised concerns regarding possible leaching of selenium or <br />other potentially harmful materials from the shale underlying the alluvium to be <br />mined. The pits created through mining will have drain trenches dug into the <br />underlying shale bedrock to channel water collecting in the pits to sump pumps. <br />18. Tests conducted by Applicant indicate that there is little to no <br />selenium in the shale in the area of the site. Similar reclaimed pits in the area have <br />been used to store municipal water for Fort Collins, and Applicant testified that <br />there have been no positive results for selenium from those pits. <br />19. To minimize potential impacts to groundwater quality, including <br />through any leaching of selenium, Applicant is required to establish baseline <br />groundwater quality prior to mining and continue monitoring throughout the life of <br />the mine. Once the mining operation begins, groundwater quality samples will be <br />taken quarterly, with results submitted to the Division in the Applicant's annual <br />report. At all times, Applicant must comply with Colorado Department of Health <br />Loveland Ready Mix Concrete, Inc. <br />Knox Pit/M-2017-036 3 <br />