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<br />cottonwood/willow riparian ecosystem and degradation of aquatic <br />ecosystem near the confluence targeting the existing gravel <br />operations as a major factor. <br />The southern project area lies within U.S. Forest Service lands. <br />This parcel was formerly in dispute, but a cooperative effort is <br />underway to resolve the matter and the operator has also <br />submitted an application for a Special Use Permit. No additional <br />work will occur in this area (encompassing the confluence and <br />gravel harvest areas) until the issue is resolved. <br />BACKGROUND: The site has been mined as an aggregate source since <br />the late 1960s. Extraction began at the extreme westerly side <br />resulting in creation of a shallow pond area that now serves in <br />catching sediment and provides beaver habitat. Operations <br />subsequently proceeded eastward on upland areas with periodic <br />harvesting of accumulated deposits near the confluence. <br />Telluride Gravel, Inc. became permittee in 1990 and is permitted <br />by the Colorado Department of Minerals and Geology under permit <br />number M-76-032. Their operations continue the practice of <br />removing bar accumulations and they have also defined the gravel <br />harvest area for annual extraction. Water from the settling <br />basins and pond used in processing material is discharged back <br />into the river under permit number COG-500253 by the Colorado <br />Department of Health. <br />The old placer aggregate piles in the northeast corner of the <br />permit area originated from turn of the century hydraulic placer <br />mining techniques practiced upstream. This activity moved large <br />volumes of coarse aggregate material downstream and redeposited <br />it in a narrow valley. As a result, the natural course of the <br />San Miguel River was disrupted by these deposits and the current <br />watercourse has resulted from flow over and around the piled <br />material. <br />ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The applicant has requested water <br />quality certification from the State of Colorado, Department of <br />Health in accordance with Section 401 of the CWA. Written <br />comments on water quality certification should be submitted to <br />Mr. J. Robert Owen, Planning and Standards Section, Colorado <br />Department of Health, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, <br />Colorado, 80222-1530, on or before August 12, 1993. <br />The Colorado Department of Health also reviews each project with <br />respect to the anti-degradation provisions in state regulations. <br />For the project which is the subject of this public notice, the <br />Colorado Department of Health has preliminarily determined this <br />project will cause only temporary changes in water quality. <br />4 <br />