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The Gohe: Journal
<br />May 12 ?001 !Page 3A
<br />Flood Covtlnued from Peee lA
<br />i0-20 years. With so many Plts
<br />and pontls Iln<d up (n a row.
<br />the (tar Is that tluring a flood.
<br />Ney rill till. lake out berms,
<br />and radical the rNer Into a
<br />rrn•'raptured' channel creat-
<br />ed try expfrcd mines.
<br />Because of t[s steep gradient,
<br />narrow vJlev and hcar~' v~l-
<br />ume of snow melt. the Dolores
<br />Rh'er has flooded 11 times
<br />smoe 1912, aaord!ng to state
<br />records. DuNYg the 1912 flood
<br />it ran at 10,009 noble feet per
<br />second and {lauded dovmlown
<br />GDIOlG9.
<br />-It Is a very pouer(ul rfvT
<br />and a'hrn It happens again.
<br />this pl! Fapttnre would be dlsas~
<br />Irous.- 8oyntun Bald. 'For
<br />some prop-rt}• awnvs. Ilke the
<br />Robinsons Mr. (81111 O:tlz and
<br />Jack AFdn. ¢ means [heir ru l-
<br />dences avoulC br lakrn out by
<br />the nea• river course, their {Ives
<br />endangered and their property
<br />tntalty lnundatcd.'
<br />Rob B:alr, a expert on ({vain{
<br />cromorphologv. and a rer-rtly
<br />re'.ired geology p:o(essor al
<br />Fort [zwls sun°.'ed the region
<br />tut month and conft.-na1 :hc
<br />polenL'al Inc me-eased Ilondirrg
<br />ZS 9 R9n]L 0{ Sn maly gl2lLl
<br />ponds.
<br />-When gravel is removed
<br />from the Dood plain, II changes
<br />the balancr_ that the mar has
<br />nahtrally ac6levetl for maln-
<br />taWng Its Irartlcular gradlenl,'
<br />Blair ezplatned. 'Linked graaLl
<br />pits along [he flood plain tend
<br />to Carus where floods w111 occur
<br />in the future m thin thty pro-
<br />ndc the pathways (or the new
<br />chalmels during a high-dLS-
<br />charge Ilnrvi Thls dcflrutely
<br />hzs the potential to change the
<br />COUrse O(fhal nver.-
<br />Berms of lad logs along
<br />mines carr channel lh< rhLr
<br />flow. or create dates, which
<br />Ina'eases erosion In those con-
<br />sL'icted meas. Thc resuh is
<br />that tiocd raters get 'dumped
<br />In the arra where lh< river
<br />spreads out again, Increasing
<br />Onod dazlgers (or resltlenls
<br />(here, and possibly causing the
<br />r,'ocr [o bourne a more b[alded
<br />ry51em." Flair said.
<br />The Group k alw researching
<br />cumulatN^. effects of mineg on
<br />aqutie rs antl the pomnttal for
<br />silt bulid-up in McPhee
<br />Reservoir from mine [aiLLngs
<br />dtutrg ilo.rds.
<br />'Govermnenl regulators ui[it
<br />the State D1vLUOn o[ btkamg
<br />and Geolcp• have Bald that [he
<br />law dMS not require them !o
<br />consider Lhe cumulath'e envl-
<br />ronroelr[al Impacts that multi-
<br />ple grzcel operations may have
<br />on ua[tr quality and tiootlLng.
<br />State statutes require !hat pcr-
<br />mlt requests be considered
<br />case by rase. based on {heir
<br />induidual moils.
<br />'W'e ttnlnk it is Ume Ihey look
<br />al more.' said pal FCanto:,
<br />CFAR prrsldml.
<br />'iht group Is rallying around
<br />Carol Stepe and Jack hltln, the
<br />roup]e suing Montezuma
<br />Cowry for gran[Sng a htgh-
<br />Impact penult far a grovel mine
<br />at the Line Camp. despite aide-
<br />spread opposltlon. '(he rom-
<br />[NSSfoners g-anted the perm{{.
<br />arguing hlstD:lca1 use~o(y^avcJ
<br />rNnes to the ar_a and the nerd
<br />td rcspeti developmrn[ rights
<br />on prh•ate property.
<br />Numerous examples ods( of
<br />{loading rltas dJverted Gy grav-
<br />el pits ulm unexyected new
<br />courses Thal have been vary
<br />costly to man, agreed geologLSl
<br />James 9. Johnson. a Grand
<br />Junction geologist.
<br />'This hehaaior (s so well
<br />kt:oum, I am surpnisrd It
<br />appea,-s to Save been lgnnrrd
<br />fn the Dolores Palley ,' Johnson
<br />said.
<br />ilia ddzau' group hu sent
<br />letters to Gm'. Bill Oxvts and
<br />state represenlathLS lnfwming
<br />h1m of Ihelr conttrn. and ere
<br />tntgSng state geoloEys[s le look (or
<br />alternative source's of gravel in
<br />less-populated areas of the
<br />county, such as Haycuop N,esa.
<br />But Lhe problem Is not lust'
<br />g1-avel pits, Blatr cautioned.
<br />BCVdC mountain ravers arc also
<br />more and more stressed by
<br />vrgetatlon depletion, Increased
<br />resldentlal development, and
<br />new roads, avhlch -Ironically
<br />- requtre ample gravel for eon-
<br />stfucUon.
<br />'Competing htunan develop-
<br />ment In general along rivers
<br />lends [o consUlct their (loos
<br />and lake up the flood plain
<br />[nay reed; Blair iald. 'ITt
<br />roncepl of designing' xi th
<br />natruL in mend would help m
<br />reaching an cqu Ulbrlum
<br />because Lherr are llmlis Ibat
<br />any river sj~L-m can handle.
<br />'EslabLshing Lhat Ilse can
<br />M_ poktlcally dtfOculL but not
<br />doing so can cause problerus in
<br />:he (uttuL.-
<br />CFAR Is pushlrg (cr a gmlogJ-
<br />cal survey to be oonducled on
<br />the Dolores Ftlrs asyley W quan-
<br />f11y Une dangrs htunan impacts
<br />are ~using. Rte group's next
<br />metfing Ls May 14 ar 6 p.m. in
<br />the Dolores Cotiee House.
<br />Sewer CunUvmd from Paje tw
<br />thei-sewer 6~I. of the peravr Asst, b}' George, whole lot of health woe-.rns.' he
<br />C\urna4y, nhe city shins o3 you brtter change IL' said.
<br />unL r service to , esidentrs whh- G.~undl member Jim 4a-nch The rntmrii mWd also LNtlale
<br />nut sardlaLLm seniee, so res~- Bald he v.ould advxate a lien a [rublir antr rnt booing nJ[e cft}•
<br />de-rLs lose L-.+th senit•c U L`,ey s•stem - Ltkr Denari s -atone uJ:c :~.-; Lhe sanllaLLOn nlstt':cL
<br />mmbmed hall for both water and
<br />sewer,
<br />6'1 Smltl_ the sanltatlon als-
<br />trlcl's ntanegcr, said that tlm
<br />Id^a of ha+irng ell wergoaem-
<br />men:al .ir:-^m--,t t~ not nrn~-
<br />>i~it'rtl~lfnab5 eight awazds .
<br />a~
<br />i~,~rii`i~al SPJ com~ietitiQn.
<br />(i~'Joun?a( rrcetved-~ Idtaaf•of,'tf~tt(;avtardsTln Ute'
<br />s5 , ; a..U 6sbSna4;/oiunallsls'larinual Bas[ of Co~dnado
<br />l }i([ r, ... Irecel~rtavo;'tirstiplribe; eav>airls:;tSteff-~writeit
<br />- , Ql~~lyolt top,"Hoilors~Ir([h!'yclmce/emYrtin(nental.
<br />ry ~; for.;; a ~, slnny salioul'~ihe; EnWinrimeritel
<br />-, ~r oo' aslihrg a natltz o1`v(otaC7on io 1)oioren ~utoe'
<br />s '•'t5yu; Judges cltid~:~tti~`sSrit~sr'QrPi'rpou9;'
<br />~~,')fe~~e,~1~^siid'.'Its cleai: coPrd~e; _tlghCerr.~tln~~.is;~~if~>°:..
<br />rr~v F1E{gcald.rbolo flisEJn featiiie p±nrp8!s;:
<br />~J~,yrj,IHe~TSd~7L?rnrs.`af Llie.Ptiny,Flie.'alrnl~t_,ott7'
<br />`i~,'~. ilter~tHntio-.•. ttiejurlgx saitl.`- :;p..;; _l~.:
<br />9rt11Gef'!:N'etLti .. - ~!"'-`v~-r:.. l.~••y l°.;'
<br />. ~la0c-,'. ' Jitn niirol.~e '{.vcl?~e~envJo®Mc~.r:t"l,~a~Jr".
<br />• ~;ntiiiv'afiovt'apprdvel oE_q ~kgri_~(nr a C+~'T"'r:
<br />~ r .ote!r{et;PitiJer? Gnu=29~nildy"ee;~t~lL,~j'::
<br />_ t<9'~F 4r an article or~G9reroouhyl~" Yai ~:l
<br />~a` It road Weri~R~h~ega~fratt~r~ phi:
<br />-~phol6 td'rt~tled Co]or"fd.Nt;~lay; sh"uwkrgy~an:
<br />r In'~fu11 ~i>~¢iidy-m~lag~y~ge°°8, ~~~[vg~$r'
<br />~ Of tMno ~' lrJrle park' S1Hdal~acor°f°-:
<br />g tas'l=rltUlinCl's n. + n,, b.
<br />e _ ~u`Ci~y 6'~egfr~' -~i'td~ttin'lf§I FWrltlr"iQ.l Bow",
<br />- ~~sini n~'ateg6r'pfoliupape%s wt~h ~j
<br />"'1 i9DD~l ~;p(Ux~o"tlter 1(i8tlof('e_coi~i
<br />.J: ~d ,7'ICSS.•.Wesfer'{,Ykl3dt}rd:.
<br />_ Bry§;(,ntI=ei,c,~, Jourrid; GIppiimt_i3"rAi>.~ noel ;
<br />[:?!
<br />ce Perintars
<br />~IafY fC31' SBICS Ulrccnor
<br />565-{sort
<br />Intlependum Heaury' Glrtsulmuts:
<br />Trvlcirh TmmroSl k.i-^.;F. :conic Sm.~nn ~ 6i.'-'i',
<br />L.•n LedroN SN cSFJ F.:vlz Buva'1 .'M1 nlvl
<br />rnno 6cnolly - SLi.:'iu • Aia.:!Ir - c„yvt:+
<br />... .,-_... .. ~. ., ..r,..c ,.....u.e~
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