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Pikeview Quarry Environmental Assessment Page 10 ' <br />erosion control. The enhanced reclamation is an element of each alternative discussed in <br />detail in this EA, except for the No Action Altemative. <br />2.2 Alternative A: No Action , <br />Under the No Action alternative, the Forest Service would not authorize , <br />implementation of the proposed action and would deny the Special Use Application <br />submitted by Castle Concrete. The mining activity would continue for about 5 to 8 years, , <br />and reclamation of some azeas in the quarry would be implemented according to the base <br />reclamation plan already permitted by the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology <br />(CDMG). This alternative does not include enhanced reclamation in the currently permitted , <br />mining areas. The estimated 6 million tons of limestone lefr in the quarry would be sold :it a <br />rate defined by mazket demand. Currently production averages 1 million tons per yeaz. <br />2.3 Alternative B: The Proposed Action , <br />The Pikeview Quarry currently occupies approximately 210 acres of private land and , <br />produces limestone aggregate. Limestone is sold for concrete and asphalt related products, <br />as landscaping materials, and as road base or is used as backfill for reclamation purposes. <br />Under the proposed action, the quarry would be expanded to occupy up to 26 acress of ' <br />National Forest System land in order to lay back its top cut. The proposed layback <br />operation (also referred to as west reclamation) would occur in addition to the current <br />Pikeview Quarry reclamation in already permitted mining azeas. It would allow the , <br />reclamation of the currently steep slopes in the west side of the quarry thus improving their <br />stability and the mining of additional materials close to the steep slopes that currently <br />remain inaccessible due to safety issues. T1te map in Figure 1.1 shows the site location in ' <br />proximity to Allegheny Road and the National Forest System Land boundaries. <br />The :materials removed from the federal land (limestone and decomposed granite) and ' <br />from the additional mining within the current permitted azea (limestone and granite) during <br />the layback operation would be used for several different purposes. If limestone is found on <br />National Forest System lands and is commercially viable, it will be purchased from the U.S. <br />Forest Service by the applicant. Otherwise, it will be used with decomposed granite on site <br />as fill. Part. of the limestone (approximately one third) found within the current permitted <br />area would be sold by the applicant. The remaining could be used as road base or fill , <br />material. This unsaleable limestone results from the mining technique for the layback, <br />which includes the pushing of the inferior decomposed granite from the top down over the <br />limestone. Thus, the limestone becomes mixed with other materials and can only be sold in <br />the mazket as road base or fill material. Given that the market is not able to absorb the <br />totality of road base materials (decomposed granite mixed with limestone), about 7,600,000 <br />1 <br />5 Although the applicant would have 26 acres available for the layback operation, current mining plans indicate that only ' <br />about 13 acres would be needed. In addition to the 13 acres directly affected by the layback, part of the permitted area <br />would be used '[o stockpile topsoil. <br />Hydrosphere Resource Consultanu, 1002 Walnut Street Suite 200, Boulder, CO 80302 <br />