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RECF~~R® MAR ? 1 ?001 D;~r:r °a al Minerals a,.a .. ""°;nuv Mine Continued from Page lA ]urisdiction of the department was challenged by attorney Jim Preston, who is representing landowners Carol Stepe and Jack Akin in a lawsuit against the county. "Visual impacts are relevant because they are included in the statute regulating (recla- ma[ionj and aze therefore with- in your Jurisdiction," Preston said. Erin Johnson also questioned what the division interprets as pertinent under the statute. She called for all of the obJections listed under "non Jurisdictional" to be considered as Jurisdiction- al for the record, and added that the availability of other sources of gravel, such as on Haycamp Mesa, should be analyzed as an alternative that would minimize mining impacts on nearby com- munities. Gullis responded that for a mine [o go forward, several per- mits are required that deal with such Issues and that reclama- Uon is Just one of them. Marilyn Boynton said ~~it .is•y important that native plants be used to reclaim the land after mining is complete, and that they be incrementally planted over time and then monitored. "Otherwise you end up with a thistle field Instead of native grasses and shrubs," she said. The steep gradient and nar- row canyon of the Dolores River needs to be respected also, Boyton added. She said the river's powerful stream flow could become a danger when combined with more and more abandoned mine pits. "As the pits capture the water during a flood, it could radically change the whole course of the river," said Boyton, who has studied min- ing issues as a reporter for a trade magazine. "The people of Dolores are in a lottery, and as more pits are dug the odds that a flood could hit Dolores increase." A good buffer zone between the mine and the river would minimize the risk, she noted. It was also requested that mitiga- tion efforts required by the commission, including the for- mation of a reclamation-over- sight committee for the Line Camp mine, be implemented into the state reclamation plan. The issue of potential ground- water contamination was raised by Dave Wuchert and others. Wells in tha rarea.: should • be- tested once the mine begins operating to ensure public safe- ty, they sold. Gullis said such analyses are done on a case-by- case basis and that they gener- ally would not test well water unless the division had reason to suspect contamination. "It has not been our experi- ence that groundwater quality is a problem with gravel-min- ing," he ssaid. Pat Kantor, representing a group of landowners working ro prevent more gravel mines in that section of the valley, said the cumulative effect of so many gravel pits requires study. But Gullis responded that according to statutes, such cumulative effects are not requtred to be taken into con- sideration. "Are you aware oC how many are going in the same area?" asked Stepe. "Yes, we know that and understand the ,concept, but the rules do not allow us to address that," Gullis said. Preston believes the agency has a statutory precedent to consider all of the issues raised at the meeting. Under the rules the mine does requve an envi- ronmental study at the state level, he Bald. The division will make a rec- ommendation to the Bureau of Mined Land Reclamation Board on April 10 on whether -the reclamation plan 1s acceptable. A pre-hearing conference will then be held on April 17 at 2 p.m. in Dolores Town Hall. Finally, the formal public hear- ing at which point the permit is approved or denied by the reclamation board is set Cor either April 25 or 26 at 1313 Sherman St., Room 318, in Denver beginning at 9 a.m. Anyone who raised riew issues at the informal confer- ence must submit those con- cerns In writing to the Division of Minerals and Geology, 701 Camino del Rio. Room 125. Durango, CO 81301. by 4 p.m. on March 22.