2004-08-19_REVISION - M2003037 (2)

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INTRODUCTION The Haldorson Sand and Gravel Mine initially applied for a Montrose County Special Use Permit in the Spring of 2003, and the permit was granted in the Fall of 2003. The initial permit area was 156 acres and planned to mine a dry terrace deposit above the Uncompahgre River 2 miles northwest of the town of Montrose. Protests to mining in this area were received and the primary issue became the hydrology of the site and the possibility of the mining affecting the hydrologic balance. In particular, there was a concern that the hydrology was not fully explained and that the pit could encounter water during irrigation season. The permit did not allow for ground water exposure. A Division of Minerals and Geology (the Division) Board meeting was conducted on October 30, 2003, which granted the permit but did not allow mining until one year of monitoring the groundwater levels through various piezometers to be installed on site was conducted. In response to the Boards demands of monitoring the groundwater level, Haldorson Sand and Gravel drilled eight water monitoring holes in January of 2004. The drill logs from these holes show that in the north end of the property, the depth of gravel was roughly between 57 and 64 feet and in the south end of the property the depth of gravel is 36 feet with the gravel deposit being on top of an impervious layer of shale. In addition, an excavation was made with a backhoe in the north central region of the previous permit area in September of 2003 while imgation was in full swing. The hole was dug to a depth of 20 feet with no groundwater or shale encountered. In order to better establish the depth at which water is expected to be encountered, the depth at which surrounding pits had encountered groundwater was collected. In February of 2004, the Board took the information provided as sufficient evidence that the groundwater in the immediate vicinity of phase one of the original permit would not be affected by mining to a depth of 13 feet and allowed Haldorson Sand and Gravel to mine the aforementioned gravel. The wells are being continually monitored and measurements are being taken once a week. As of the end of July 2004, many weeks of irrigation have taken place and the data shows that the level of groundwater was roughly between 0 and 10 feet above the shale. Overall, the data that was presented Haldorson Sand and Gravel Mine 1