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Dowe Flats Special Use Permit Amendment Application May 2, 2022 <br /> Compatibility During Mining <br /> The only approval being requested by CEMEX, Inc., is to extend the duration of ongoing mining <br /> for an additional 15 years. Because the location and scope of the mining activity and structures <br /> associated with that activity will not physically change, no additional impacts are contemplated. <br /> Dowe Flats has operated and will continue to operate in a manner that is compatible with the <br /> surrounding area. Because the mining operations occur in an area below the surrounding land <br /> surface and behind vegetated visual berms, the activity cannot be seen from the adjacent public <br /> roads. These berms also effectively mitigate noise impacts. The mine only operates during the <br /> week, most weeks only Monday through Thursday. On weekends, when the Rabbit Mountain <br /> Open Space is most used by the public, there is no activity at Dowe Flats that could impact the <br /> experience of open space users. The operation does not generate traffic impacts in the area <br /> because all the material mined at Dowe Flats is processed on-site and transported over State <br /> Highway 66 to CEMEX, Inc.'s Lyons Cement Plant via conveyors. In addition, historically there <br /> has been a very large buffer of land around the Dowe Flats mining operation. While all this land <br /> is now being proposed to be removed from the permit boundary, the land will continue to act as <br /> an effective buffer around the mine. There is no threat of this buffer land being developed <br /> because it is owned by the County, the City of Longmont, or CEMEX, Inc. CEMEX, Inc. is <br /> unaware of any complaints filed by neighbors or the public about past operations at Dowe Flats, <br /> which is indicative of the compatibility of the ongoing operations within its environs. <br /> Continuing to mine this site is in the best interests of the surrounding area. Dowe Flats is <br /> conveniently located across the street from CEMEX, Inc.'s Lyons Cement Plant where the <br /> limestone and shale mined from Dowe Flats is ultimately used to make cement. Because Dowe <br /> Flats utilizes a covered electric conveyor to transport the materials directly over State Highway <br /> 66, CEMEX, Inc. does not need to use trucks to transport the materials, which is beneficial to <br /> road safety as well as air quality. Having the resource transported by conveyor also results in <br /> significant cost savings (no trucking costs) that is passed on to consumers (local governments, <br /> businesses, and residents) through lower cement prices. If CEMEX, Inc. loses access to the <br /> existing resource at Dowe Flats, another source of mineral resources would need to be utilized, <br /> and the new source or sources would require trucks to transport the material from farther away. <br /> For all these reasons, continuing to mine at Dowe Flats would result in the continuation of a <br /> compatible use within the area. <br /> Compatibility Following Reclamation <br /> CEMEX, Inc. intends to reclaim the site per the existing reclamation plan approved under SU- <br /> 93-14. This would return the site to close to its pre-mining condition, which would be compatible <br /> within the area. However, because agreements are in place for certain additional property to <br /> likely be acquired and maintained by Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) as part <br /> of the open space system following completion of mining activities and subsequent reclamation, <br /> an extended mining term would afford the opportunity to refine the reclamation plan before <br /> mining is completed in order to create a more topographically and ecologically diverse area to <br /> benefit BCPOS's open space system in the longer term. <br /> The currently approved reclamation plan includes two basic vegetation communities: grassland <br /> and wetland. The grassland is a somewhat diverse mixture of native range grasses with a small <br /> component of wildflowers. The 20-acre wetland, as planned, is to be 98% cattail and 2% rushes. <br /> In 1993, when this reclamation plan was approved, at the request of the County, the reclamation <br /> plan was geared towards the development of habitat for a single primary species, prairie dogs, <br /> which in turn provide food for raptors. While it is important to think about providing some prairie <br /> dog habitat, there is already a substantial amount of prairie dog habitat in the area. This site <br /> has the potential to provide habitat for many additional species. Because of the location of the <br /> Review Criteria Statement—Page 2 O TETRA TECH <br />