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,_~ _y~ ~ • • iii iiiiiiiiniu iii <br />FISCHER,BROWN, HUDDLESON nN~ GUNN <br />ATTORNEYS AT LAW WARD H. FIBCHER <br /> WILLIAM H.BROWN <br />ELEVENTH FLOOR, FIRST NATIONAL TOWER POST OFFICE DRAWER J CHAS. R. HUDDLESON <br /> WILLIAM C.GUNN <br />FORT COLLINS,COLO RADO 80522 STEVEN B.RAr <br />AREA CODE 303/4621056 W. PAUL ECHMAN <br />March 10, 1980 ~ ~ !o ~:~~ <br />h~rR 11 1980 <br />Mr. James B. McArdle <br />Reclamation Specialist f'1~'~~~D Lh.MD RECLAMATION <br />Mined Land Reclamation COiO. Deot. of ~~stur2! R?SOIfCeS <br />1313 Sherman Street Room 723 <br />Denver, CO. 80203 <br />RE: Three Bells Mining Application, File No. 79-191 <br />Dear Jim: <br />I promised I would send you a short letter out- <br />lining the concerns of the Cache La Poudre Water Users <br />Association in regard to this matter. In doing so, please <br />understand that we are not vehemently opposed to what the <br />applicant wishes to do at all. Our concern is that the <br />mining activities, and the existence of the numerous ponds <br />after the mining operation is complete, will not have an <br />adverse impact upon the flows in the Cache La Poudre River. <br />It appears that the applicant recognizes and intends to <br />address this situation. However, as you know, replacement <br />of water lost to the river through mining processes and from <br />evaporation from pond surfaces can be a fairly complicated <br />thing. A lot of calculations need to be made, and there <br />should be assurance that whatever water is used for re- <br />placement is available when the loss to the river occurs, <br />which apparently will be nearly year around. <br />Focusing attention on the ponds: It appears that <br />a greater and greater amount of water surface will be exposed <br />to evaporation as the mining process continues, with there <br />being ultimately some 170 surface acres, more or less, of <br />water directly exposed. Our engineer calculates that in an <br />average year, and over the entire year, this loss will be in <br />the gross amount of 39 inches, leaving a net loss of 26 <br />inches, or over two acre feet. Thus in an average year, <br />approximately 370 acre feet would be lost to evaporation <br />from the ponds' surfaces. Admittedly there would be some <br />loss through evapotranspiration if the property remained <br />unmined, but we have no doubt that this amount would be <br />substantially less than the amount that would evaporate from <br />exposed pond surfaces. The applicant, we believe, needs to <br />determine, through appropriate hydrological and other necessary <br />studies, the net amount of water loss that will occur through <br />