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<br />Glen A. Miller <br />2264 Willow Wood Road <br />Grand Junction, CO 81503 <br />970-245-4347 970-243-1642 (Bus.) <br />Received <br />May 20, 1999 <br />Sue Moyer <br />U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service MAY 21 iy~ <br />764 Horizon Drive <br />Grand Junction, CO 81506 Divisiono-MnefalsgG~~ <br />RE: Soaring Eagle Gravel Pit, Post-mining Flow-through Proposal in U.S. C. of E. Permit Notice <br />Dear Sue: <br />As discussed recently at your office, I'm submitting information on the area, including probable effects of <br />the proposed "Texas-crossing" structure. In the discussion of hydrologic processes below, although the <br />effects are straightforward in the "direction" they will take, their timing and magnitude are somewhat <br />uncertain. This discussion includes what I perceive to be damaging effects both on my property and on <br />public values in the area. <br />Back round: <br />I own river-front property on an island in the SW 1/4 of Sec. 27, about 1,000 feet NW and downstream <br />of the proposed pit (Attachment I). I purchased the property years ago, fully aware of the potential <br />future effects on it because of the natural changes in the river. The value of this property is its riverine <br />environment. I refer to the entire island complex as the "island." <br />Existine Conditions: <br />Bedrock outcrops stabilize the south edge of the pit and the south side of the existing channel <br />immediately upstream and downstream of the proposed inlet. <br />2. The arcuate south side of the pit area is an old meander "scar," probably formed in late <br />Pleistocene time, a period of much higher flow in the river. My conceptual model of this ancient <br />meander system is shown on Attachment I. As the channeUmeander progressed north a,~d west, i <br />left behind the present gravel deposit. It is important to the understanding of the present issue to <br />note that the ancient river eroded its channel into bedrock to a depth of 10-20' lower than the <br />present channel. <br />Man-made structures during the past century (R. R., U. S. 6&50, I-70, etc.) have combined to <br />hinder or prevent the river meandering so as to re-enter the pit area. The river reach north of the <br />pit is nearly straight. <br />4. Between the proposed inlet structure and the SW tip of the island area, there appears to be 4 to 5 <br />miles of a combination of main channels, side channels, and backwater, that make up a valuable <br />