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' trapped within the mining it and not allowed to discharge... During most of the <br /> PP g p g g <br /> ' mine's life this will be accomplished by the fact that the entire mining area will be <br /> significantly (>40 feet) below baseline grade." Similar assurances are made that <br /> area wells will not be adversely affected. These assurances need to be investigated <br /> ' further. <br /> DMRM notes that in later years a portion of the mining will take place within a 100- <br /> ' year floodplain. Major floodplain mining impacts can occur if during flooding the <br /> stream creates a new channel through the pit. Physical impacts include bed <br /> degradation, bank erosion and channel widening, with these impacts often <br /> ' extending many miles away from the pit. Infrastructure such as road crossings and <br /> services that lie within the area may also be damaged or destroyed. Furthermore, <br /> mining in close proximity to a waterway where extraction has continued to a lower <br /> ' depth pose a greater risk than pits that are positioned further away from the <br /> waterway.41 <br /> ' DMRM indicates that there is no risk of pit capture by flooding because any flooding <br /> from the creek will flow across the reclaimed meadow before draining back to the <br /> creek. This is on the optimistic assumption that the reclaimed meadow will be in <br /> place and successful before any potential flooding can occur. <br /> In 2015, Clear Creek Commissioner Timothy Mauck testified in Congress:42 <br /> ' "Whitewater rafting alone has a total economic impact to the community of <br /> approximately$23 million. Hunting and angling generate a total economic <br /> impact of nearly$6 million to the county. This is not only the story of Clear <br /> Creek but also across Colorado and the nation.According to the National <br /> Shooting Sports Foundation, hunting and angling's total economic impact is <br /> i $192 billion. Outdoor recreation in Colorado generates $13.2 billion and <br /> employs more than 124,000 people.Across the country, it generates $646 <br /> billion and 6.1 million jobs." <br /> As in the case for Colorado's vulnerable wildlife population, shocks created by the <br /> ' DMRM are likely to cause damage to Clear Creek's water resources. Even if the best <br /> mitigation measures are implemented by DMRM, there is a non-zero risk of <br /> pollution and poisoning of a unique and vulnerable Colorado resource. If such a <br /> ' risk came to pass, it would adversely affect recreational industries including fishing <br /> and rafting, and present health hazards to household use of Clear Creek waters for <br /> communities such as Golden. We already know from historic mining, clean up is a <br /> ' very expensive process. Colorado communities such as Golden surely do not want to <br /> become another Flint, Michigan. <br /> 41https://www.gbcma.vic.gov.au/downloads/Quarries on the Goulburn Flood lain acobs <br /> and Moroka 2014 Review of floodplain mining and risks.pdf <br /> 42 https://naturalresources.house.gov/uploadedfiles/testimony_mauck.pdf <br /> 16 <br />