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<br />untreated waters from reaching the stream. Under the current plan, ground water wells <br />in the West pit extract ground water at a rate sufficient to maintain the ground water <br />elevation to prevent outflow into the Rito Seco. Extracted water is processed through a <br />water treatment facility, and after treatment, the water is then discharged into the Rito <br />Seco under a Permit issued from the Colorado Department of Heath and Environment <br />(CDPHE). <br />The need for the water management program was necessitated for both water <br />quality and water quantity considerations as a result of waters discharging directly into <br />the Rito Seco from the West Pit area. <br />BMRI now seeks to modify its existing permit as to treatment of waters at the <br />water treatment facility, and, instead, pipe the untreated waters to the Shalom Ranch, <br />with the waters used for direct application through sprinklers for irrigation purposes <br />upon two quarter sections. In addition, an irrigation reservoir will be designed to hold <br />the untreated waters during the non-irrigation season. <br />SUMMARY OF THE WEST PIT/FARM WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN <br />As described in the permit amendment summary, there are four key elements. <br />1. Continued pumping of the West pit well. Pumping of certain West Pit <br />wells controls the groundwater level in the West Pit area and prevents groundwater <br />outflow to the Rito Seco -and/or Rito Seco alluvial aquifer. <br />2. Continued operation of the Rito Seco alluvial groundwater capture wells to <br />prevent further downgradient migration of affected groundwater. <br />3. Eventual decommissioning of the water treatment plant. The wafers <br />previously treated by the plant will be conveyed by pipeline to the Shalom Ranch where <br />the water will be used for irrigation. <br />The plan is effectively a land disbursal proposal. The land disbursal concept <br />includes using untreated waters for crops on farm lands. It is our understanding that the <br />irrigated lands historically used untreated waters to grow crops. <br />4. Storage of waters during the non-irrigation season for use of waters on the <br />two irrigated quarter sections. <br />2 <br />