2003-11-06_REVISION - M1987024 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Corey Pit No. 3 DMG 112 Permit Conversion Application EXHIBIT D - Minine Plan The Landowner, Robert Corey, owns 222 acres more or less in this area which includes a lazge portion of Mexican Gulch, part of the point of mesa west of Mexican Gulch and into the lower part of the smaller gulch known as Pelton Draw that joins Mexican Gulch just west and north of the mesa point. Mr. Corey's residence is at the edge of the mesa west of Mexican Gulch and south of the lands affected by this permit. Historically, there were three gravel pits on this property called Corey Pit 1, 2 and 3, which were opened up and mined during the 1950's and 1960's. Montrose County has been involved in mining all three pits as well as various private contractors. Pits 1 and 3 have had asphalt plants on site at various times. Pits 1 and 2 have been reclaimed and Mr. Corey's son currently lives at the site of Pit 1, which is north and west of Pit 3. Pit 3 is at the north end of the point of the mesa and is the subject of this conversion application. Pit 3 is a 110 Permit where gravel is mined from the north point of the mesa. The gravel deposit is approximately 40 feet in thickness underlain by Mancos Shale and overlaid with up to 24 inches of Mesa Gravelly Clay Loam and 4 to 14 inches of Mesa Clay Loam. The soil increases in thickness and quality away from the edge of the mesa. The area of the existing Pit 3 was originally dry rangeland. Most of the area added by this conversion is irrigated hay fields. The existing permitted pit floor slopes gently (I-2%) north to south and east to west and contains 5 to 10 feet of gravel. Past operators have inadvertently angled down while mining into the gravel face on the south. The south face of the existing pit is currently sloped south to north at approximately 4:1 (h:v). There is a large amount of imported inert fill subsoil from projects completed by previous operators on the southwest section of the pit floor. This conversion will increase the total pit area to 50.73 acres, including the previously mined area, adding land immediately to the south of the existing pit. The applicant, Western Gravel Inc., operates a sand and gravel and ready-mix concrete business whose main location is approximately 2.2 road miles northeast off of US Highway 50 north of Montrose. Traffic using the pit will enter the permitted land from the existing, partially paved haul road on Corey property. This road leaves the Corey property north of the pit onto the paved Silver Springs Lane, then to Marine Road, then to LaSalle Road and on to US Highway 50. This road has historically been used as both farm access and as a gravel haul road. This is the designated haul route. Trucks will not be allowed to access the site via the narrow farm road that exits on the southeast side of the existing pit towards the Corey residence. This route has never been used as a haul route in the 30+ years of this pit's existence. A barricade and/or signs will prevent this road from being used by gravel trucks. Mining will proceed using scrapers and/or front-end loaders and trucks to remove topsoil and overburden from the surface of the un-mined mesa south of the existing pit and stockpiling this on the east side of the existing pit floor to help screen the operation from residences east of the property. The resulting berm will be approximately 10 feet high and 60 feet wide, with 3:1 slopes as required by the Montrose County Special Use Permit. Excess topsoil and overburden may also be stockpiled on top of the mesa along the west boundary and also west of the existing private road and power line on the east side of the pit to be used to cover the slopes of the finished pit. No stockpiling will occur within 30 feet of the pit boundary. Gravel will be excavated using front-end loaders and dozers to move the material to processing equipment set up on the floor of the existing pit area. Processed material will be stockpiled in the processing azea with conveyors or loaders, to be removed from the site with dump trucks as needed by the operator. Processing equipment will initially be set up in the south end of the existing pit and move south as material is mined to be near the excavated face of gravel.