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<br />.a a four <br />p -.9--•- <br />n <br />u <br />(~) (A)--of (dEPA. The= Corps- and National Truest have maintained a <br />myopic stnnce on the i55ue. Thv National Trust, for_example, <br />is,ucd a ore paragraph statement to the MLRB indicating_tho mine <br />v+ould noC'have'a significant visual impact from within thQ San Cu1S <br />National Histgric District. However, NEFA regulations mandate a <br />br7ader interdisciplinary assescmont of impacts focus on visual <br />impacts is not in compliance with NEPA. <br />The six major concerns of the Community era outlined below <br />d`utl ine• Hof 'Local =Corirarvis --- - = - ~ - - - <br />(a) Dewatering: <br />Fr^,CT: To get et the microccopic species of gold in the yenta Fe <br />Conglomer~=~te, bMR must "dewater" the oast and west mind pits. The <br />water pi-,mood out of the mine pits will be "recycled" through use <br />in the milling, leaching, and ore-crushing opvrationv. BMR will <br />use an auamentation plan involving B60 acre feet of water per year <br />in transfers from agricultural to industrial water usage. <br />PMR VIEW: The proposed augmentation plan will rvplaee any water <br />losses in the Rito Seco aquifer. The quality of the replacement <br />water will be equal to ar superior to that in the creak. Howovvr, <br />the Rito Seco is nqt hydraulically connected to the dewaterinq pits <br />so replacement needs should bo minimal or non-exiatvnt. The <br />buttress and slurry walls constructed by BMR between the min• pits <br />and Rito Seco should prevent any serious environmental Impact on <br />the R1to Seca aquifer. <br />LOCAL CONCERNS: The augmentation plan and dowaterinq will dry-out <br />substantial wetlands and in-stream flows in the middle R1 to Seco. <br />Ecologist David Cooper has reviewed the relevant data and concluded <br />that: <br />Thera is a great possibility that Rito Seco and the <br />aquifer associated with the gold era connected. In the <br />original mine permit application (page p-SG) the <br />proponents state that "As the data show, water lvvelc in <br />the East and west Fits are camewhst consistent with creek <br />levr:•ls in Rite Seco in the immediate vicinity. It <br />appe:.:rs that the water in the East Fit im, to some <br />degree, hynr-aulically connected to Rito Seco. while water <br />henr_•~ath the green clay layer !n the Woct Pit is el .her <br />porrly hvdrnlogically connected to R1to Soco, or is a <br />hydraulically aist:nct unit locally." The mine pit aroaa <br />o-+il l t~e+ dFwaterrd up to ~~ir feet doop..,.My fear is that <br />wut.er t~~bles ire the Rito Seco floodplaln will be lowered. <br />hny luo-+tr-inq of this water table will cause cignificant <br />d~~gradat.ion q~ the riparian wetland and aquatic <br />ec.os+ys~trart~s .~1. onq Fi to Seco. (l_ettar to Del a Vodehna2 , <br />