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this ditch to preserve the minor wetland located at the bottom. Without this pumping, it could tem- <br />porarily dry up until the lake is filled. In the mining plan, gravel filter controls are described which <br />will ensure that the water pumped is in compliance with the discharge permit. No chemicals will be <br />used for the operation. With this pumping into the ditch, no drawdown due to pumping will affect <br />any other water body within a reasonable vicinity of the pit. <br />5. Historical Land Use <br />The actual site was used as an irrigated alfalfa field and irrigated pasture sporadically for many yeazs <br />prior to this proposed pit. The area was leveled in the early 1980's and was re-levelled in 1989 for <br />irrigation. If imgation was not used in a particular year, the site was inactive and not used at all. The <br />irrigation water is owned by Cecil Farnsworth through shazes of the Wade Hightower Ditch. This <br />ditch brings water to the site from south of the permit area. <br />The surrounding area has historically been used for a) gravel extraction from the river b) irrigated <br />field and c) fruit orchard, which is located south and west of the permit area. <br />The river is also used for recreation, such as kayaking and fishing, when water levels permit. Mid- <br />summer, fall, winter and early spring flows are generally low, less than 100 cfs. <br />An existing pond near the southwest portion of the permit area was installed by the landowner, <br />Farnsworth, in the 1980's. This pond has approved water rights for evaporation and has a surface <br />area of 0.57 acres. <br />The land immediately east of the permit area is also owned by Farnsworth and has been used as a <br />bench area for the Farnsworth Gravel Pit #2 (M-1982-154), which extracts gravel from the river it- <br />self, depending upon annual deposition. This area is flat and void of topsoil. The other adjacent pit is <br />the River Bottom Land Pit owned by the River Bottom Land Corporation (M-1992-] 00), located <br />immediately north of this permit area. The facilities for this pit azea aze located on the other side of <br />the river, as shown on Map E-1. These facilities will be used by United to process the gravel from <br />the permit area for the North Fork Pit. <br />6. Soils <br />The Paonia Area SCS Soils Survey Sheet 16 shows that the area for this 110 permit consists of two <br />soil types, which are listed below. The approximate soil boundaries are shown on Map Exhibit B-1. <br />North Fork Pit Mazch 04 6 <br />