2005-07-13_REVISION - M2000016 (14)

Home Browse Search

Riverbend site. 404 permitting, wetlands and wildlife issues have been discussed with these agencies and are ongoing. Mining Summary The Riverbend site will be dry mined and the operation will process approximately 2 million tons of aggregate per year. Approximately 25 to 30 acres per year will be mined at the site, mining from the south to the northern boundary. To accommodate this activity, a conveyor will be built in the property running north/south. Lafarge anticipates fully mining and reclaiming the site in 34 years; however, the rate of mining and overall life of the mine is dependent upon demand and market conditions. A key component to the activities at Riverbend is concurrent reclamation. As the mining proceeds north on the site, the fully mined cells will be restored according to the reclamation plan. Operating hours for the facility are proposed to be SAM to IOPM Monday through Sunday. Lafarge will notify the County ofnon-typical circumstances, which would dictate extended hours. Such circumstances could include an emergency or special project. For example, some CDOT projects require bridge work to be completed at night and therefore would require extended hours and constitute a "special project". The main entrance into the Riverbend site will be from WCR 6. The main plant operations wil[ be located at the WCR 6 entrance, including a concrete and an asphalt batch plant, concrete casting facility, recycling plant, materials blending and materials import. According to the traffic study submitted with the 2004 DMG application, no improvements are required to U.S. Highway 85 to accommodate the increased truck traffic at the U.S. Highway 85 and WCR 6 interchange. Lafarge will also keep the existing permitted access point into the Site from SH 52. This access will be used for emergencies and employee access. Lafarge intends to screen the processing area by using berms, situating the plant away from adjacent roadways and preserving existing vegetation where possible. Technical details about the mining operation are described in the response to the Weld County Use by Special Review Questionnaire (question 1) and in Exhibit D of the 2004 DMG Permit application. Reclamation Summary The reclamation plan was designed to enhance the natural values of the landscape and to support the community's vision for this area. The reclamation plan takes advantage of opportunities to enhance the South Platte River corridor and to integrate regional parks and trail plans. Figure 2 displays the overall plan for the Riverbend site reclamation activities. The main trail corridor planned for the site will be located along the semi-reclaimed conveyor alignment for the mining operation. The trail will be constructed after completion of mining activities and removal of the conveyor. This will allow future trail construction to use the road installed to maintain the conveyor and will provide a good base for the trail. Lafarge Wes(, lnc.. -Riverbend WeldCounry USR Permit Page 6 of41