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<br />-a- <br /> <br />This protection work required a Section 404 permit. During <br />permit evaluation, we are required to consider alternatives to <br />the work which would be less environmentally damaging to the <br />aquatic environment. One such alternative can be nonstructural <br />planning options of locating the pit much further away from the <br />river than 100 feet (ideally it would be located outside the <br />meander path) so that a portion of the buffer would remain when <br />the river naturally floods and erodes. Another alternative can <br />be increasing native trees and shrub densities in the buffer zone <br />with dense plantings, protecting vegetation by prohibiting <br />stockpiling and roads within the buffer; an d, protecti.na <br />vegetation by permanently prohibiting grazing or other <br />conflicting land uses within the buffer. Since our jurisdiction <br />didn't occur until the mining pits were in paace and the buffer <br />and one pit was lost, the use of project planning alternatives <br />was precluded and we had no choice but to authorize the <br />environmentally damaging alternative of hard lining. <br />We urge you to consider nonstructural planning alternatives <br />for this mining project. <br />If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at <br />(719) 543-6914 or e-mail me at anita.culp@usace.army.mil. <br />Sincerel , <br />ita Culp" <br />Senior Project M ger <br />Copies furnished: <br />Mr. Gerald J. Hermans <br />Castle Concrete Company <br />P.O. Box 1030 <br />Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1030 <br />