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i; <br />b) Problems as to water quality can be remedied at the mine site by <br />treatment as well as disbursing overflow waters to other locations. Any changes of <br />water quality at the mine site cannot be easily remedied if they are being immediately <br />piped to the Shalom Ranch for disbursal. Also, there is a lesser ability to control water <br />quality problem during both the irrigation and non irrigation season at a downstream <br />storage facility as opposed to the upstream water treatment facility. <br />10. The land disbursal concept necessarily connotes that heavy metals and/or <br />other deposits from the untreated waters will be introduced into the soil. Natural <br />precipitation and/or irrigation waters from the sprinkler system will, over time, move <br />those minerals and deposits through the soil layers into the underlying aquifer. <br />11. The permit amendment application indicates that "the Colorado Division of <br />Reclamation, Mining and Safety evaluated current conditions of ground water chemistry <br />in the West Pit and concluded that the water quality was consistent with pre-mining <br />conditions." This finding apparently supports the contention that the water treatment <br />facility is no longer necessary both for short and long term purposes in treating water <br />quality at the existing facility. Certain assumptions need to be explored including <br />whether or not this is a permanent condition as well as the underlying basis for the <br />contentions. At such time as these Opposers are able to review the comprehensive <br />historical data for all testing sites, and conduct their own evaluation, Opposers will <br />supplement their position as appropriate. Historical test results are presumably going to <br />be provided in the near future to these Opposers by BMRI. <br />12. There are four ditches, the Espinoza Ditch, Acequia Chiquita, San Luis <br />People's Ditch, and Montez Ditch which take their source of supply from the Rito Seco <br />at the Salazar Ditch headgate. The Salazar Ditch headgate is the main headgate used <br />by all four of these ditches as well as the Shalom Ranch. Once waters are introduced <br />into the Shalom Ranch from the Salazar Ditch headgate, waters are then distributed <br />among the four ditches and the Shalom Ranch. Piping of untreated waters to the <br />Shalom Ranch may interfere with the means of distribution of acceptable quality waters <br />to the four ditches. Three other ditches, the Allen Ditch, San Acacio Ditch, and <br />Espinazo Ditch may also be impacted by water quality or water quantity considerations. <br />5 <br />