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CHAPTERFIVE Draft EIS Recisions <br /> <br />of <br />The <br />agriculture. The existing zoning around the Parachute Site is Resource/Lands (R/L), which <br />includes general agriculture. According to the Garfield County Zoning Resolution of 1978, the <br />R/L zoning includes the following special uses: material handling, pumping facilities, electric <br />distribution, warehouse facilities/staging areas, storage areas, water impoundments, access <br />routes, utility lines, pipelines, extraction, and processing. <br />According to the Parachute Processing Operation Special Use Permit: Transportation Plan - <br />County Road 215, a maximum of 66 heavy truck round trips per day, 5 days per week, would be <br />expected durine the annroximately 18-month construction period. However, the construction- <br />all lands within the <br />the <br />are zoned <br />aze used for <br />related heavy truck traffic would be considered a temporary impact to existing noise levels and <br />truck traffic frequency. Heavy truck traffic during operations would reach a maximum of 36 <br />round trips per day during the week, and 20 round trips per day during the weekends. <br />Truck traffic (associated with existing operating facilities) presently travels along both County <br />Road 215 and the Piceance Creek Road. The heavy truck traffic (related to the Yankee Gulch <br />Project) would increase the frequency of noise events affecting the residences located along both <br />routes. The impacts are not considered significant since the additional traffic would cause only <br />an increase to the frequency of disturbance and not an increase to the level of disturbance. Each <br />noise event would be temporary, relatively short in duration, and not sudden. <br />The noise level for a heavy truck X85 dB (A) at 50 feet] is attenuated approximately 6 dB per <br />doubling of distance (i.e. 79 dB (A) at 100 feet, 73 dB (A) at 200 feet, etc.). Hills, buildings, <br />trees, and other physical barriers increase this rate of attenuation. Based on the standard <br />attenuation rate, approximately five residences along County Road 215, and 31 residences and <br />one school along the Piceance Creek, would be exposed to periodic noise events exceeding the <br />daytime Residential zone level of 55 dB (A). Based on the standard attenuation rate, the noise <br />level for a heavy truck is attenuated to less than the permissible daytime Industrial zone level of <br />80 dB (A) at approximately 90 feet distance. There are only two residences within 90 feet of <br />Piceance Creek Road, and none along County Road 215. Recognizing the temporary nature of <br />many noise events, the Colorado State Article 12 Noise Abatement (12 CRS 25-]2;) indicates <br />that the noise levels permitted in Table 4.6-1 may be increased by 10 dB(A) for a period of not to <br />exceed 15 minutes in any 1-hour period. Therefore, all of the anticipated noise events would be <br />with the levels set in the Colorado noise regulations. Public lands access to hunting, ... <br />Pace 4-38; Vegetation <br />Pinyon juniper woodlands in the study areas provide severe winter range habitat for big <br />game, especially mule deer. Depending on the level of disturbance, it would take about 30 to <br />50 years before trees in revegetated areas would be mature enough to provide adequate <br />thermal cover for big game. It would take up to 150 years to replace a mature woodland and <br />up to 300 years to return to the potential natural community. These periods assume that <br />reclamation is directed toward these components. <br />• Sagebrush, greasewood, and mountain shrub communities are generally considered less <br />sensitive to disturbance because of their shorter recovery time, usually 5 to 10 years, with a <br />5-27 <br />