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~~ <br />~- <br />1/ <br />August 2s, 2006 RECEIVED <br />Steve S. Shuey U,•,~; ~ l 1 ~' ~'' ' <br />Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety /~ AUG 2 9 ZOQ6 ~i~ <br />101 South Third Street, Room 301 ~""`'`'~ any ~a~'=`~ <br />Grand Junction, CO 81501 t~flrnng G~WD JUNCTION FIElD OFFICE <br />rzr=cxnr~lanoSl~r~N°FC a snFErr <br />i <br />RE: Benton Dawson Gravel, Permit No. M-1983-209, Technical Revision No.ol. <br />Dear Mr. Shuey: <br />The landowner of the property referenced above, Frank Gilmore, has filed a Succession of Operators Application with <br />the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety to succeed Jack Hawkins, Western Slope Construction Co, as operator. <br />As the new operator, Mr. Gilmore wishes to revise the Permit to allow for mining the deposit deeper than the current <br />plan and to revise the reclamation plan to include a horse arena, corrals and a bam in the reclaimed pit azea. Exhibit B <br />of the original permit application described mining to about the elevation of the bottom of the now abandoned Don <br />Quixote Ditch, and that this was the presumed lower extent of the gravel deposit. The current landowner believes the <br />gravel may go several feet deeper. The DMG Inspection Report of 7/29/1998 also states that according to the plan, <br />"Drainage from the permit azea is to be toward the central area, which naturally lies lower, and should exit through the <br />culvert under the ditch. If excavation is to be deeper than the ditch, which would prevent runoff from being routed <br />toward the culvert or exiting through the culvert, then the catchment basin is to be deepened and the culvert placed <br />deeper." Mr. Gilmore wishes to revise the permit to allow the deeper mining just described if it is not already <br />considered part of the plan. <br />The DMG Inspection Report of 11/20/2002 indicates that if the post mining plan is to use the site for horse corrals, then <br />the permit would need to be change via Technical Revision. Exhibit B of the original permit application described the <br />azeas to be mined as dry gravel knolls with little or no topsoil or vegetation. Using the gently sloping gravel floor for a <br />horse operation is more practical than the current plan, is compatible with neighboring land uses, and is what the <br />landowner wishes to do with the land. The reclamation plan would be revised to state that high-walls will be reduced <br />to 3:1 and topsoil replaced and re-vegetated according to the existing plan. The gently sloping areas of the pit floor will <br />be graded to the center drain azea as in the current plan, but would not receive topsoil or be re-vegetated so that the azea <br />can become the desired horse operation. <br />The landowner intends to build a road from his driveway off of G Road, north across Cummings Gulch to the permit <br />area to be used as his access to the site and eliminate the need for the shazed easement that serves as the pit access. <br />This road is intended for the post mining use of the horse operation and will not be subject to any reclamation. We do <br />not wish to add the area for this road to the permit boundary. <br />Please call me at 970-874-5127 if there is any additional information that you need. Thank you for your assistance in <br />this matter. <br />Sincerely, <br />Michael Ripp <br />Consultant <br />PO. Box 54 • Delta, CO 81416 <br />(970) 874-5127 • Fax: (970) 874-3161 • e-mail: mvrippaaol.com <br />