HYDRO24594

• Permit No: M2003037
• IBM Index Class Name: Hydrology
• Doc Date: 2/26/2004
• Doc Name: Info Submitted to DMG related to the Potential for Groundwater Impacts
• From: DMG
• To: MLRB
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

• STATE C~COLORADO
DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
Department of Natural Resources
1373 Sherman St., Room 275
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: (303) 832~f106
DATE: February 26, 2004
TO: Mined Land Reclamation Board
FROM: Russ Means and Kate Pickford
COLORADO
DIVISION C
MINERALS
GEOLOGY
REC IA NATION•NINING
SA FfTY•SCIEN CE
Bill Owens
Gavemor
Russell George
Executive Director
Ronald W. Cottony
Division Director
Natural Resource Trustee
RE: Information submitted to the Division related to the Potential for
Groundwater Impacts resulting from the Haldorson Sand and Gravel Mine,
Haldorson and Sons, Inc. File No. M-2003-037
The Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) has reviewed the Request for Review of Limited Mining
Proposal at the Haldorson Sand and Gravel Mine M-2003-037 by Greg Lewicki and Associates, and the
Supplemental Information to the report dated February 23, 2004, and it is the opinion of the Division that
the Lewicki reports contain information that merits reconsideration of the October 30, 2003 decision by
the Boazd not to allow mining at the site until one year of groundwater monitoring data can be obtained
from the site.
The original application was submitted by Banks and Gesso, LLC, and contained limited information
concerning the groundwater and the nature of the affected aquifer at the site as related to the Lewicki
report. The Banks and Gesso application relied on groundwater data supplied by Don May in two
separate letters. The first letter, dated September 5, 2003 conveyed the following information:
• Groundwater at the site flows from southwest to northeast;
• Groundwater in the vicinity of the proposed Haldorson operation is recharged primarily by
precipitation and irrigation;
• Groundwater levels in the gravel deposits are directly affected by irrigation activity in the area;
• In the event that groundwater was exposed by the operation, the effects to groundwater levels
would be minimal in that the open pit would behave as a well and water would flow through the
pit and still flow to its ultimate destination;
• It is likely that the groundwater surface does exist above the shale bedrock at least during
imtation season;
• In spring of 2003, 6 test holes were dug at the site situated in a north-south pattern. The
northern hole reached 60 feet whereas the south hole reached 32 feet and no groundwater was
encountered;
• The system in and around the project area is uniform and well defined.
The Don May letter referred to the West Water Report, but Banks and Gesso did not submit the West
Water Report as part of the application. The report was subsequently submitted with a letter from an
objector - Kay Wiesner - on July 16, 2003, but was not considered in the groundwater review of the
application. Additional information contained in this report related to the groundwater regime at the site
is as follows:
Office of Office of Colorado
Mined land Reclamation Active and Inactive Mines Geological Survey