PERMFILE72863

• Permit No: M2000077
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Name: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MULE CREEK GRAVEL PIT
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

' Mule Creek Gravel ~nvirotlmental Assessment • Page 10
1
' Z ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED
ACTION
' This section of the EA presents a description of the alternatives evaluated as part of the
NEPA compliance process, including the No Action Alternative. It also includes a
description of alternatives that were considered but eliminated from detailed analysis.
' The altemahves studied in this EA were defined in consideration of their technical,
environmental, and economic feasibility and their ability to meet the purpose and need
for the proposed project.
2.1 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated

Several alternatives were considered but eliminated from detailed evaluation in this EA
for reasons related to their environmental and technical feasibility. Because of the
' geologic and soils conditions in Teller County and the area surrounding the proposed
quarry, there aze many locations where aggregate of similaz chazacteristics and quality
could be mined. These azeas aze located on Federal lands, state lands and private lands.
'
The Colorado Department ofNatural Resources, Division ofMinerals and Geology,
maintains a database that includes information about all permitted gravel quames in
' Colorado. There are currently 14 active permits for gravel quarry operations in Teller
County, including 12 quames located on private land, one on State School land, and one
on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. The Division of Minerals and Geology
' maintains records regazding the amount of material produced from these operations, their
production capacities, and the amount of available reserves. The state's database includes
information on the permitted acreage which indicates that most of the currently permitted
sites in Teller County are small (10 acres or less).
Only one site, the Gillette Pit located south of Gillette along Teller County Road 81, is
' compazable in size (32 acres} to the Mule Creek Site. However, this site has been under
"temporary cessation status" since 1998 and has only been operated on an as-needed basis
for gravel in the vicinity of Victor and Cripple Creek. It is not likely that this site could
be effectively operated to meet gravel needs to the north of the Mule Creek site because
of the expense of hauling the materia120 to 35 miles to areas around Divide and
Woodland Park where the greatest demands aze expected to occur.
'
Given the geology and soils in Teller County, there aze many readily available sources of
aggregate, and future demands for gravel could likely be met from the expansion of
' existing sites located on private and state lands. However, the U.S. Forest Service does
not have jurisdiction over the development on private and state lands, and therefore the
' possibility to reclaim gravel mining sites would not exist. These options, from the U.S.
Forest Service perspective, would therefore be considered under the No Action
Alternative.

' Hydrosphere Resource Consultants, Inc. 1002 Walnut Street, Suite 200 Boulder, CO 80302