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demonstrate, pursuant to Subsection 6.5(4)under the Geotechnical Stability Exhibit,that off-site areas will not
<br /> be adversely affected by blasting during mining or reclamation operations."In Zephyr's Mining Permit
<br /> application,their Geotechnical Stability Exhibit, prepared in April 2016,only addresses the seismic hazard
<br /> relative to a"Dawson Gold Mine Tailings Impoundment".While interesting,the following questions, as per
<br /> DRMS regulations,still need to be answered: How many explosions per day?Effects on nearby homes?
<br /> Decibel levels?Complaints about structural damage directed to who? How and when will Zephyr"demonstrate"
<br /> that people,wildlife,structures,etc.will not be"adversely"affected?Based on the proximity of the Dawson
<br /> Ranch and Wolf Park subdivisions,we are, bearing in mind the chance that this mine plan will be approved,
<br /> asking that any blasting at the mine site only be conducted during very specific and restrictive hours of the day.)
<br /> 2.7.6 Water Requirements
<br /> "The proposed mine facilities will require water for 1)drinking water purposes,2)fire protection,3)crushing,
<br /> grinding and gravity separation processes,4)rougher,clear flotation and regrinding processes, 5)tailings
<br /> thickening and filtering,6)gold concentrate thickening and filtering and 7)dust control.
<br /> During development,there will be minimal water demand, but during operations,the mine facilities will require
<br /> approximately 130 gallons per minute when in operation.Water will be provided by the mine dewatering,water
<br /> recycling and delivery of additional fresh water to the property.The mine is proposed to operate 365 days per
<br /> year and annual demands are estimated at approximately 200 acre-feet during operation.As noted,a
<br /> significant portion of this water demand will be provided by the reuse of water supplies within the mining
<br /> process so once the reclaim water,filtered water and potable water tanks are full,they will only need to be
<br /> topped off periodically.
<br /> Dust suppression water will be provided using a truck with spreader bars using approximately 1.0 acre-feet per
<br /> year.
<br /> During reclamation,there will be minimal water requirements at the property."
<br /> (200-acre feet is 65,170,200 gallons of water or 178,549 gallons the proposed mine will use each day.The state
<br /> of Colorado estimates that average household in the state uses 0.5-acre foot of water a year.Zephyrs annual
<br /> water use will be approximately the same as all the homes in the nearby Dawson Ranch subdivisions total
<br /> annual water use.There is no discussion of water required for sanitation and/or construction of septic tanks.
<br /> Dust suppression water requirements for a year is shown to be 326,000 gallons or 930 gallons of water per
<br /> working day to provide for dust suppression on approximately 2 miles of on-site mine roads,two miles of
<br /> Temple Canyon Road and the dry stack tailings deposit area.This appears woefully inadequate in this area's
<br /> dry windy climate with a large subdivision less than a mile away and directly in the path of prevailing winds
<br /> coming through the proposed mine area.
<br /> At a time when 60%of the western United States is considered in exceptional or extreme drought; has received
<br /> on average 13.6 inches of snow and rain from July 2020 to June 2021; is warming faster than the rest of the
<br /> United States and the globe; has doubled the average acres burned from 3.6 million acres[1991 to 2000]to 7.5
<br /> million acres[2011 to 20201;and is now considered to be in a megadrought; is this really the time to be
<br /> permitting a mine that will use 65 million gallons of water a year or 326 million gallons over the proposed life of
<br /> this mine?)
<br /> 2.10 Exhibit J:Vegetation Information
<br /> "Consistent with the NRCS soil description, native vegetation in the proposed facility area is pinyon and juniper
<br /> with understory of Scribner needlegrass,western wheatgrass, blue grama,side oats grama, Gambel oak and
<br /> mountain mahogany. Noxious weeds have not established because very little disturbance exists,and historic
<br /> disturbances are old enough to have revegetated successfully. Mr. Rick Romano of the US Department of
<br /> Agriculture, NRCS, Fremont County office visited the site on November 17,2014."
<br /> (This was probably very good information 7 years ago.What is there today;what exists in the way endangered
<br /> or listed species;what noxious weeds have come into the area in the past seven years? Is Zephyr telling the
<br /> DRMS and Fremont County Commissioners that there is no downy brome,white top,scotch thistle,etc.on
<br /> these 300 acres when these noxious weeds are quite common on the public lands surrounding Zephyr's private
<br /> lands and proposed mining area?Arkansas Canyon Stick leaf and Rocky Mountain Bladderpod have been
<br /> found on public lands surrounding the proposed mine site. It would be reasonable assumption that these listed
<br /> plants occur on the proposed mine site as well. In addition,a list of rare and imperiled species within a two-mile
<br /> radius was provided(Appendix G)to Angela Bellantoni from Colorado Natural Heritage Program-Colorado
<br /> State University.This information is dated 11/8/2012.This information is nine years old. CNHP data systems
<br /> are constantly updated.All Zephyr must do is request new information.Zephyr's bat information from Colorado
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