GENERAL32961

• Permit No: M1999002
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 8/18/1998
• Doc Name: COMMERCIAL MINE PLAN SUBMITTED TO BLM SECTION 7
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

• The man-made noise source closest to the Piceance Site is Piceance Creek Road (Rio
Blanco County Road 5), located about one-half mile from the Piceance Site. The
proposed pipeline corridor also crosses Piceance Creek Road twice between the
Piceance Site and the Parachute Site. Noise levels associated with traffic on this road
have been measured at or below 53 dB(A) 90 percent of the time (USGS 1981). By
comparison, noise levels measured on Colorado Highway 13 (7 to 17 miles east of
the proposed pipeline) and Colorado Highway 64 (11 to 16 miles north of the
proposed pipeline) averaged 67 and 66 dB(A), respectively (BLM 1982).
7.14 SOCIOECONOMICS
The American Soda project area is located in Rio Blanco County and Garfield
County, Colorado. The project will include a solution mining operation in Rio
Blanco County and a product processing operation in Garfield County. The two sites
will be connected by a 44-mile pipeline. Since Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties are
the jurisdictions most likely to experience potential socioeconomic impacts, they
will be referred to as the socioeconomic study area.
7.14.1 Population and Housing
7.14.1.1 Population
• Population centers within a reasonable commuting distance of the project area
include Meeker with a 1996 population of about 2,484, Rangely with a population of
about 2,613, Rifle with a population of about 5,850, Parachute with a population of
about 1,100, and Battlement Mesa with a population of about 3,000 (Colorado
Department of Local Affairs 1997a). Meeker and Rangely are located in Rio Blanco
County, while Rifle, Parachute, and Battlement Mesa are located in Garfield County
to the south.
Over the last 5 years, communities within the socioeconomic study area have
experienced varying degrees of population growth. Communities along the
Interstate 70 corridor in Garfield County, including Rifle, Parachute, and Battlement
Mesa, have experienced the fastest growth. This growth has been in response to
increases in construction employment associated with accelerated development of
real estate and resort facilities and to growth in tourism-related trade and service
employment in Glenwood Springs and adjacent Pitkin County (Aspen-Snowmass).
Battlement Mesa has grown in recent years due to its emergence as a popular
retirement community. From 1990 to 1996, the population of Garfield County
increased from about 30,000 to 36,832 residents (22.9 percent). Population growth in
Rio Blanco County was slower because it is farther from popular resort and tourist
attractions and associated employment opportunities. Nevertheless, population in
Rio Blanco County increased from 6,051 to 6,964 (15.1 percent) from 1990 to 1996
(Colorado Department of Local Affairs 1997a). Table 7-9 illustrates the population
• growth trends experienced in the socioeconomic study area from 1980 to 1996.
American Soda, L.L.P. 7_49
Commercial Mine Plan
August I8, 1998