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i; <br />future with the ability to cure a problem at a later time either cost prohibitive or <br />impossible to remedy. <br />6. Considering the status quo, the land disbursal concept is not acceptable in <br />general, and particularly at the Shalom Ranch location. It provides for untreated waters <br />to be moved via pipeline to the Shalom Ranch and then disbursed on the farm ground <br />as part of the farming operation. Historically, the two quarter sections on the Shalom <br />Ranch have grown crops in the past and used untreated water to do so. Likewise, there <br />is no reason to believe that there are not sufficient waters to sustain the two quarter <br />sections for agricultural production with the existing supply of waters. In short, waters <br />sent to these quarter sections are being used on crops merely to find an alternate <br />means to deal with untreated waters at the mine site, as opposed for use to sustain a <br />crop. In addition, BMRI seeks to create a water right to do so where no such right <br />exists. <br />7. An existing school is located in close proximity to the Shalom Ranch. In <br />addition, the Town of San Luis is located approximately 4 miles from the Shalom Ranch. <br />The Shalom Ranch is located in relatively close proximity to persons that live in and <br />around the area, and rely upon groundwater to supply their domestic needs. The Town <br />of San Luis uses wells for its needs. The inhabitants throughout the area also use <br />domestic wells. It is believed that the groundwater is supplied from an aquifer formation <br />that serves both the Shalom Ranch and the inhabitants of San Luis and the surrounding <br />area. In short, the water treatment process is being eliminated and instead untreated <br />waters are transported from the remote mine site location to an area that is populated. <br />8. The proposed land disbursal has attendant risks that cannot be fully <br />understood and accounted for at present. <br />9. In addition, some risks are known and are unacceptable. Some of those <br />risks are as follows: <br />a) Sprinkler irrigation of the untreated waters results in certain waters being <br />recharged into the groundwater and the aquifer underlying the Shalom Ranch. Even if <br />the untreated waters meet agricultural standards for water quality, there is no showing <br />that they meet the domestic standards for water quality. It is not an acceptable risk to <br />have untreated water reach the aquifer. <br />4 <br />