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~ • iii iiiiiiiuiiii iii <br />WHITEWATER BUILDING MATERIALS cORpU~aTiON <br />SAND & GRAVEL PRODUCTS <br />Phone 2~2-7537 <br />sao so~~h 10th scma P.o. so: 7769 <br />GRAND JUNCT~A~~~~ 81502 <br />MAR 31 1995 <br />,ivs;Un ui ,.nna~a~s ~ ~eoio9Y <br />READY MIXED CONCRETE <br />Phone L42-484E <br />29 March 1995 <br />Mr. Larry Oehler <br />Division of Minerals and Geology <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 <br />Denver, Colorado $0203 <br />Re: Inspection report, Whitewater Pit 500, MLR Permit M-77-129. <br />Dear Mr. Oehler, <br />The 20 January 1995 inspection report for the above site shows <br />that there was a concern about bank erosion in stage Y of our <br />permit. You suggested that we prepare a plan to stop further <br />erosion and submit it by 31 March 1995. Following is our position <br />on this issue. <br />Mining took place in this stage between 1965 and 1973. That <br />mining left the natural river bank intact as it was at that time. <br />Backfilling of the area began soon after a dam had been placed <br />between stage Y and stage 1. Backfilling and reshaping of stage Y <br />continued into 1993. <br />Review of the maps submitted in 1977 and again in 1981 show that <br />an island had begun to enlarge in the river adjacent to where the <br />erosion is taking place. During 1984 -85 the Gunnison River was <br />~., high ~., we have ever seen and started to cut the setback and <br />then into the backfil~ material. Nothing in our mining caused the <br />river to do this and as we have been told by the U.S. Army Corp <br />and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that this is a natural <br />meandering of the stream within its historical channel. <br /> <br />The only way to stop the erosion would be to do an extensive <br />channeling to the island to redirect the flow away from our bank, <br />and reconstruct the riverbank. Then place rip rap along the toe <br />O bedded into the river bank. This would require a large amount of <br />work within the river which will not be allowed. We take this <br />stand as we have tried this very idea up stream in stage Z. <br />We have been trying for eight years to obtain the same type of <br />permit to do the same thing in stage Z. This is an area of <br />similar erosion but if allowed to continue will cause much more <br />