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<br />approximately 3 miles away, and the facility appears small and distant. From that <br />• community, the most visible features of the site are large white storage tanks and <br />flare stacks, all of which are remnants of the Unocal oil shale operation. The <br />transfer of ownership of the site from Unocal to American Soda will include <br />dismantling the flare stacks and many of the visible facilities currently present on <br />site. However, American Soda would utilize most of the tanks and would install a <br />new building on site to house product processing equipment. This building would <br />stand approximately 120 feet tall and would likely be visible from Battlement Mesa. <br />When in operation, the processing plant would emit a steam plume, which could be <br />visible at various times depending on weather conditions (e.g., cold mornings). In <br />addition, the facility would utilize some night lighting that may be visible to some <br />residents of Battlement Mesa. The amount of night lighting would be substantially <br />less than was used by Unoca]'s operations. <br />Drivers on Parachute Creek Road would clearly observe the preferred Parachute Site <br />processing operation as they drive by because the site is located just to the south of <br />this public road. However, because the processing operation would be located <br />within the existing Unocal upgrade site, which already has an industrial appearance, <br />visual impacts would be minor. <br />To reduce the minor visual impacts associated with the preferred Parachute Site, <br />American Soda would implement several mitigation measures. First, to reduce the <br />visibility of the existing storage tanks, the new processing building, and other <br />structures, American Soda will paint these structures a shade of brown or green that <br />will blend with the colors of the surrounding natural landscape. To reduce the <br />visibility of night lighting, American Soda would minimize outdoor lighting and <br />would select a less intrusive shade of lighting (e.g., dull yellow} within the <br />constraints of OSHA requirements and standard engineering practices. <br />A steam plume from the Parachute Site processing facilities will be visible under <br />certain weather conditions. During the summer, when temperatures are high and <br />humidity is low, the steam plume will be nearly negligible. During cool winter <br />days, especially those with higher humidity, the steam plume could rise several <br />hundred feet into the air (Kvaerner 1998e). Under these conditions, the steam <br />plume would be visible to residents of Parachute and Battlement Mesa and to <br />travelers on Parachute Creek Road and Interstate 70. <br />8.12 NOISE <br />Noise Sources <br />The equipment and process facilities used for the proposed Yankee Gulch Project <br />will generate some noise above the background levels at both the Piceance Site and <br />the Parachute Site. Equipment associated with the operation of the Yankee Gulch <br />. Project that would be the primary noise sources includes: <br />American Soda, L.L.P. 8_32 <br />Commercial Mine Plan <br />August 16, 1996 <br />