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Currently very little surface water ever leaves the confines of the operation. Rainwater and <br />snowmelt mostly percolates into the porous ground, but some undoubtedly evaporates. As the <br />operation develops, outlets for surface drainage will be established. These outlets will be designed in <br />• coordination with the regional drainage plan being studied by El Paso County. That plan and some <br />of the proposals in the plan are discussed in the Mining Plan (Ezhibit D) and the Reclamation Plan <br />(Ezhibit E). <br />GROUND WATER: Ground water resources are limited and will not be affected by the operation, <br />ezcept as a part of the recharge system discussed above. The ground water is apparently not <br />uniformly ezistent under the sand deposit, that is, it does not appear to occur everywhere. <br />Underlying the sand a layer of about 15 feet of coarse gravel is usually found. It is this gravel that <br />seems to be associated with the ground water. The gravel rests on top of shale and therefore the <br />water, where it occurs, is coned to a thin zone between the sand and the shale. <br />In some locations, however, the ground water is not found. This seems to be associated with <br />the absence of the gravel layer. The ground water appears to follow old stream beds that formed <br />long before the sand was deposited. Most of the sand deposits in El Paso County are actually aeolian <br />dune formations. The old stream beds were probably buried by the moving dunes during a time <br />when vegetative cover was low. in some areas of EI Paso County, this being one of them, the sand <br />deposits are 75 to as much as 200 feet deep and have been clearly identified by the USGS as an old <br />dune field. <br />The operation intends to only eztract the sand and generally will not mine the gravels. The <br />only place where the gravels will be mined is in Phase 2W. Mining in that area is in accordance <br />with TRNl and permanent ezposure of the limited amount of ground water in that area does not <br />• occur. This is accomplished through balling the pits. <br />The flow rate in this aquifer is not known and appears to be highly variable. It also appears <br />the depth of the top of the aquifer varies considerably during the year. Several years ago in the <br />Castle Concrete Sand Pit (Phase 3W in this amendment) shallow seeps of ground water in low spots <br />would be seen during the spring, especially after wet winters. But by early June these would dry out <br />as the water table dropped in elevation. The mining is not ezpected to generally eacavate this <br />closely to the water table. It causes the bottom of the pit to become very soft and this can cause <br />equipment to become stuck resulting is significant down time. <br />WATER POLLUTION CONTROL: Possible sources of water pollution in this operation are from <br />greases and oils derived from equipment maintenance and from any pollutants in the sand processing <br />system. Major equipment maintenance is not done on site, but rather the equipment is hauled to a <br />shop at the main concrete plant in Colorado Springs for maintenance. All other oils, antifreeze, and <br />other materials that supply equipment needs on site are stored and transferred in confined or <br />enclosed areas, including basins or buildings. All oils are recycled. The maintenance of solvents for <br />washing is completely done by contract with a company that is responsible for supplying and <br />recovering the solvents. Washing is not done where pollutants can run off the land and' enter the <br />ground water. Fuel storage is done in accordance with standard procedures that provide for control <br />of spillage. <br />• <br />Water Page G-2 <br /> <br />