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<br />OURAY COUNTY PLAINDEALER
<br />Ouray, CO
<br />(Ouray County)
<br />Thu, 1,834
<br />COLORADO PRESS
<br />CLIPPING SERVICE _
<br />~C'- tray group
<br />takes gravel
<br />:fight to state
<br />Stacie Oulton
<br />Daily Sentinel
<br />OUAAY - A group of citizens
<br />fighting gravel pits in Ouray Coun-
<br />ty has filed a complaint with the
<br />state, saying that one company has
<br />operated illegally.
<br />The Concerned Citizens of Ouray
<br />accused ZMK Mine Construction of
<br />Giavel P't Proposal
<br />On Hold For Now
<br />By Ler>ra Slrrvlk
<br />With the prospect of another gravel pit near the Idlewlld
<br />Estates subdivision, area residents aze angry and the
<br />planning commission Is walting for all the facts before
<br />commenting.
<br />ZMK Mine Construction has applied for a specter] use
<br />permit from the county that could put a gravel extracllon
<br />operation Just north oC the subdivision. While the
<br />' application speclllcally states there will be "no cnshtng.
<br />screening or processing of material on site," subdivision
<br />residents are sell wary of the impact of another gravel pit.
<br />"We're concerned that Idlewlld will turn Into gravel pit
<br />row,' said Jan Nolan, who tries a few hundred yards from
<br />the proposed site for the ZMK gravel pit. During the last
<br />_ decade, Bve pits have gone into a 6-mile stretch of land near
<br />the subdivision. Three others have been proposed during
<br />that same time.
<br />When Nolan bought her home In ldlewlld 10 years ago,
<br />she had no Idea that all those gravel pits would become part
<br />!~ of the surrounding landsppe.
<br />"The county has a land use code that allows for special
<br />use permits, "Nolan said. "That means, by appllcatlon,
<br />gravel pits can go Into a residential azea, but that doesn't
<br />mean every one has to be approved. There 1s no way gravel
<br />pits and residents can flue 1n harmony.'
<br />Nolan said the potential noise, dust and property
<br />devaluation are among her main concerns with the gravel
<br />pits: -
<br />Even Bill Forsythe, who lives about ahalt-tulle Irom the
<br />proposed ZMK site, is concerned with the noise that may be
<br />generated by the gravel pit. With very little vegetation
<br />separating his home from the proposed alte, he is afraid the
<br />sounds from the mining opemUon will cony to his house.
<br />He also shares Nolan's concerns about the property
<br />devaluation.
<br />And those residents are not alone. When the ZMK special
<br />use permit appeared on the Ouray County Planning
<br />Comntlsston agenda last Tuesday, Jan. 21, there was a full
<br />courtroom walting to hear the planning commission's
<br />comments. "
<br />- - -Those comments never came.
<br />That day, the rnmr[usslon received a fax from the Mined
<br />Land Reclamation Division, saying It needed more
<br />information about the ZMK gravel pit. Along with the county
<br />extractfrig~ravel Trom the Uncom-
<br />- , pahgre,nitt}}eb9d last summer with-
<br />' " out a regWif'~`~d'sCfiCe permit.
<br />Pete Klein, one"ZMK owner, de-
<br />clined to~.comment on the com-
<br />plaint. Ttic other owner, Dick Za-
<br />nett, cavtldn't be reached for com-
<br />ment. ----
<br />The state said it plans to investi-
<br />gate the c6mplain[.
<br />"So far: as we're aware, without
<br />knowing the whole story, we have
<br />no record of a permit" for ZMK,
<br />said Jim Stevens, senior reclama-
<br />lion specialist with the Mined
<br />Land Reclamation Division.
<br />ZMK is •working on getting per-
<br />mits from [he county, state and fed-
<br />eral governments to mine gravel
<br />from the west side of the river. It
<br />then plans to divert the river and
<br />mine the east side. ,
<br />The person hired [o pursue the
<br />permits for the company has said
<br />previously that gravel was taken
<br />from [he ZMK site about five miles
<br />north of Oliray. But he said the
<br />company had permission to do so
<br />from a county commissioner.
<br />' See Ouray, page 3B
<br />DAILY SENTINEL -
<br />Grand Junction, CO
<br />(Mesa County)
<br />M-F(PM), 31,812;S5u(AM), 38,23,5
<br />` COLORADO PRESS
<br />_ J t:LIrP1NG SERVICE
<br />~i -`3D3.571.5117 ra.~;
<br />~:a
<br />O~ gray -_, ;~~:,~_;.,:.
<br />From Page 1B
<br />Despite that, state law stfll3e'"'..~
<br />quires mining companies to get,' '`
<br />state permit fti•om the Mined Laf"i~
<br />Reclamation Division. ~ . '
<br />Stevens said it may be ditTicaltt'd,
<br />prove anything illegal had been
<br />done because the site has been dis-
<br />turbed anumber oftimes.
<br />The division will inspect the aite~'
<br />in its investigation and turn its~-~
<br />finding over to the Mined Land-.
<br />Reclamation Board, which decides"'
<br />if any violation has occurred. '
<br />If a violation is found, the board
<br />can impose Fines, require the com-.
<br />pony to obtain a permit and per-
<br />formmitigation onthe site.
<br />n'
<br />.Aoijritain 1Vews Thur., Jan, 30, 1992
<br />REGION WATCH ~'
<br />Ourap gravel fight
<br />A new proposal [o dig gravel
<br />from the Uncompahgre River
<br />bed near Ouray has renewed a
<br />two-year battle between back-
<br />ers and residents opposed to '
<br />the plan. ZMK Mine Construe-
<br />tionwants todig aswath of ,
<br />grave110feetdeep,l00fcet
<br />wide and 900 feet long. Jim
<br />Nolan, who lives in an adjacent
<br />subdivision and is a member of
<br />Concerned Citizens of Ouray
<br />County, fears [he proposed
<br />gravel pit would disturb
<br />groundwater, erode river
<br />banks and impede local traffic
<br />with gravel trucks. County
<br />planners share the concerns.
<br />..._.-.
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