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2.1 Alternative A—Proposed Action <br /> Dolores County Road and Bridge proposes to mine up to 50,000 cubic yards of mineral materials <br /> from 11.6 acres of BLM-administered public land(the project area).Mining would include topsoil <br /> salvage, overburden stripping, and excavation. Of the 11.6 acres that would exist within the <br /> permitted area of the pit, 4.6 of the acres constitute the expansion that the proposed action is <br /> contemplating,while 7 acres have already been authorized and built.Approximately 3 acres of the <br /> new disturbance would be pit. Mining in the expansion would occur intermittently, for up to 3 <br /> months at a time every 1 to 3 years, during daylight hours, hours over a 10-year period on an as <br /> needed basis. Mining would begin upon approval of the Contract by the BLM. <br /> Topsoil salvage would consist of stripping all herbaceous vegetation and soil to a depth of less <br /> than 12 inches. When possible, soil that is stripped will be direct placed on a newly abandoned <br /> area. Topsoil stockpiles will be seeded in the interim. Following topsoil removal,the overburden <br /> would be stripped with a D-8 Caterpillar(or equivalent)dozer by pushing the material, creating a <br /> berm adjacent to the topsoil stockpile. In accordance with the Mine and Reclamation Plan <br /> (included as Appendix D to this EA), Dolores County Road and Bridge would construct, operate, <br /> and maintain the access road. At the end of the life of the gravel pit, Dolores County Road and <br /> Bridge as holder of the permit will be responsible for removal and remediation of all disturbed <br /> land including the gravel pit as well as the access road. <br /> Once the overburden is removed, a dozer would excavate and push material to a loader that would <br /> load material into the mobile impact crusher, reducing material to smaller aggregate. All <br /> processing equipment would be located within the permit boundary.All equipment will be brought <br /> in during crushing operations and removed when crushing operations are complete. <br /> 2.1.1 Design Features <br /> The following design features are an applicant driven commitment and constitute a portion of the <br /> proposed action and are intended to lessen or reduce impacts.Air Quality/Greenhouse Gas(GHG) <br /> Emissions <br /> • Reduce vehicle speeds on unpaved roads to and from the pit. <br /> • Reduce vehicle/equipment idling. <br /> • Minimize product extraction/processing and surface disturbing activities during dry and <br /> windy conditions. <br /> Fire/Fuels Management <br /> • Operator shall not place vegetative material on BLM lands for any reason. <br /> Paleontology <br /> Disappointment Valley Gravel Pit Expansion EA DOI-BLM-CO-S010-2024-0021-EA <br /> Tres Rios Field Office <br /> 7 <br />