2005-09-09_REVISION - M1980193 - Laserfiche WebLink

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d~ k, l~ ~r° Richazd Hahn 27775 Washington Road Calhan, Colorado 80808 v REC~1`~4'~l~ ~SEP 0 9 2005 To Whom it May Concern, ~ Division of Minerals anA Geology gl8los ~/fiUl Q/ My name is Richard Hahn. I live at 27775 Washington Road in Calhan, El Paso County. I am writing this letter to inform you of my concerns about the expansion of the Sokol Pit- Rocky Mountain Asphalt, Permit #M-19803. I am strongly opposed to the 295 acre size and the possible thirty yeaz life of the mine. My home is approximately 350 feet from one of the proposed parcels and the town of Calhan is 3-4 miles from the proposed gravel pit mining operation! Gravel pit mining and the numerous trucks traveling dirt roads aze not safe to people living in the azea. Particulate matter (PM, air borne silica sand) is dangerous to our health. Trucks that transport the gravel down Soapweed Road produce enormous clouds of dust that can aggravate symptoms of those that suffer with asthma. PM also causes other lung related issues. It has been documented that diesel exhaust fumes from all the heavy equipment can cause cancer (12 times higher in children- Good Morning America). The safety of children living on Soapweed Road is also a major concern. The proposed 4000 tons/day of gravel would put many trucks on this already dangerous road The few trucks the county of EI Paso used "periodically" from this pit caused major dust and safety problems. The expansion of this gravel pit would make problems a hundred times worse. The noise from a 295 acre gravel pit over 30 years would be unbearable! The processing of materials, the heavy equipment, and back up beepers would be overwhelming! My wife works at Memorial Hospital at night and sleeps during the day. I am worried about ground and aquifer contamination. Potential petroleum spills could affect our ground water. The commercial wells needed for this operation can have adverse affects on our wells, even the water supply for the town of Calhan. Millions of gallons of water can affect aquifer hydraulics. Many of our wells are shaky at best. Our quality of life would be ruined. We moved out here to get away from the noise and the hustle-bustle. We won't be able to even open our windows! There is akeady too much mining in this azea. No one would want a gravel pit and all these trucks and heary equipment in their backyazd. The current pit is about 30 acres and has only been used periodically every 2-3 months, a couple weeks at a time, over the last 25 yeazs. The proposed new operation will not be business as usual. The 4000 tons per day and hundreds of trucks per day would greatly impact the quality of life. We have a right to live in a safe environment. We should have property tights that don't allow for companies