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Section 20 Rationale <br /> February 9,2023 <br /> Page 3 of 7 <br /> 3. Noise and dust pollution from the mining heavy equipment, conveyors, crushers, and trucks. <br /> 4. Road and bridge damage from the heavy truck traffic. <br /> 5.Safety of residents' running,walking and biking on the adjacent roads from the truck traffic. <br /> 6. Devaluation of Mr.Shimon's property because of the mining operations, road damage and <br /> truck traffic. <br /> 7. Loss of irrigation water. <br /> 8. Loss of farm land and commodities from that farming. <br /> These categories are listed below and titled with bold font. <br /> Jurisdictional Items <br /> 1. Groundwater and Surface Water Concerns including;water quality and quantity of Mr. <br /> Shimon's shallow well (Item#1), loss of water to Mr.Shimon's well because of the depth <br /> of the mining operation(Item#2)and loss of irrigation water(Item#7). <br /> Based on the Division's review of the Colorado Division of Water Resouces(DWR)well permit <br /> database, Mr. Shimon's irrigation well is unregistered with the DWR with no legal support. The <br /> Shimon's residence is served by Central Colorado Water Conservancy according to Mr.Shimon. <br /> The mining activities at the proposed site will be primarily conducted using dry mining methods, <br /> including all the mining cells along Weld County Road 29,which is located west of the Shimon's <br /> property. Prior to exposing groundwater in the mining cells, a bentonite soil slurry wall will be <br /> constructed around each cell. The slurry wall will isolate the mining cells from the surrounding <br /> groundwater. <br /> The slurry walls will act as a barrier protecting the surrounding groundwater from any pollutants in <br /> the miningicells and from impacts to the surrounding hydrologic balance. The construction of the <br /> slurry walls will be evaluated and approved by the DWR to ensure proper construction by the <br /> Applicant. <br /> The slurry walls will form a barrier to groundwater flow at the proposed site without the proposed <br /> mitigation measures. The up-gradient side of the site, south side, is estimated to see mounding <br /> (increase)of the groundwater elevation and the down-gradient side of the site, north side, is <br /> estimated to see shadowing(decrease)of the groundwater elevation. The Shimon's property is <br /> located on the east side of the site and is projected to see mounding of the groundwater elevation. <br /> The Applicant installed seven (7) monitoring to investigate the groundwater on the Section 20 <br /> property. The depth to groundwater indicates the direction of flow of groundwater is <br /> predominantly from the south to north. Monitoring well#4 is located west of the Shimon's <br /> property and on the west side of WCR 29. The Applicant will be required to monitor and report the <br /> groundwater elevations for eighteen (18) months in order to obtain a baseline elevation. The <br /> monitoring wells will be measured monthly by the Applicant for the life of the mine to demonstrate <br /> the surrounding wells have not been negatively impacted from the mining operation. <br />