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"Water" from Page i you sick ... and it would leave dark rings on my (pots and pans.)" Kessler said that she and her son paid about $4,000 to dig a new, 370-foot well in April, but that the new well also provides insufficient water. "It doesn't do much good," she said. "We get less than before." As a result, Kessler said the family attempts to keep water use to a minimum. Full baths are a limited occurance, and the watering needs of her animals and plants has suffered, she said. Kessler blames the loss of water on area vet companies, but city, county and state offi- c~els say they have no evidence to support or deny the claim. Gravel pits using dry mining techniques can sometimes create a "cone of depression," an earth pocket that fills with water after tl~e gravel has been displaced, said Carl Munt, an environmental protection specialist with the minerals and geol- ogy division of the Colorado Natural Resources Commission. Cones of depression can lower the water table, he said. "What she's talking about is possible," Munl said, whileadding he has no information tosuggest that Kessler's water fable is being affected by gravel mining. Munt said that his office has not received any recent complaints about a drop in the wafer table here Kessler lives, but that the department has ..roestigated a number of cases farther south, where several several gravel pits are locaed. A check of state records shows there are three permitted gravel mining sites in the vicinity of Kessler's home, two oC which are in operation, Munt said. Rob Coney, Adams County planning depart- ment director, said his office has had only one other complaint about reduced water capacity in recent months. Thal complaint also came from Brighton Road, but some distance from where Kessler lives, he said. Coney stressed that several factors can influ- ence awater table, including the depth of the well, drought and the demand placed on an aquifer, as well as temporary fluctuations. Phil Goddard, chief buiding official with Brighton's Community Development Department, said that the ability of a gravel pit to lower a water table depends partly upon how freely water can travel through the soi. He said it's more difficult for water to travel through hard rock, while water travels more freely through gravel areas. While Kcssler's home is located in a gravel area, Goddard said the distance between her home and tltc gravel operations raises questions about whether the businesses can be affecting Kessler's water pressure. He said there also appears to be a discrepency between when the gravel companies began operations and when Kcsslcr has said she first began experiencing problems. An informal polling cf a few residents along Brighton Road revealed most did not have water problems, although a number of them had wells deeper than Kessler's. Coney said the county does not have jurisdic- tion in the case because the gravel pit is located in the city, but said he referred Kessler's case to the social services office for possible further assis- tance. Goddard said city options arc limited because Kessler's home is in the county, but said he re- ferred the matter to the state natural resources agency for further study. Munl said his office has no record of notice from the city, but said his office is now studying the matter. Meanwhile, Kcsslcr said her limited water supply has created more immediateconcerns. "I'nr worried we're going to lost our trees, our shrubs, our eardcn," she said. ~, . ,.. 3 ~~~ i" a,d µ'!~ ~ e ,e~ .,~ 4 .,p~ ,..•: 4~. {~~ ~• , ~a-.-K,,, . i 1~' ,~1 :~; ..~ .,.,,~~ ~ ~;f~,. i° ~ .~ _. E ~ . ~~ .,.. ~ m F ~. n,:,i, SGT..,, 3 r.. .~.'•s.< :: ~ sg ~ ~!~ z^g~ ~.~". ~`- o .ra,.. 3t ~ Maria Kesslersays herwaterwell isdrying up due to nearby gravel pit work.