Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Carl Mount, MLRB <br />Southwestern/ Dowe Flats <br />August 11, 1993 <br />Page 2 <br />II. Proposed storage Reservoir <br />Although the application identifies the primary future land use as <br />wildlife habitat, Southwestern also has applied to Boulder County <br />for a land use permit for construction of a storage reservoir. <br />The St. Vrain Anglers oppose the reservoir alternative for the <br />following reasons. <br />1) No need for such a reservoir has been determined. Approval of <br />a reservoir with neither clearly defined need nor an <br />identified water supply would amount to a blank check for <br />future unspecified water development without review and <br />probably with severe negative effects on any wildlife habitat <br />reclamation. <br />2) The reservoir alternative effectively obviates any long-term <br />benefits of reclamation for wildlife habitat since most of it <br />would be inundated. Even anticipation of construction of a <br />reservoir could result in less thorough implementation of <br />interim stabilization and reclamation programs. <br />3) It has not been positively determined that construction of a <br />reservoir would not compromise containment of hazardous <br />contaminants associated with the Syntex landfill site. If <br />migration of contaminants were to occur there could be severe <br />negative downstream impacts. <br />In order to prevent future conflicts of purpose between the two <br />alternatives it would be appropriate to amend this application to <br />address only reclamation for wildlife habitat. <br />III. Future Land Use <br />Areas reclaimed for wildlife habitat should be preserved. The value <br />of reclamation for wildlife habitat can only be diminished if there <br />is no mechanism for assuring an opportunity for it to mature and be <br />protected. Subsequent activities that do not have conservation of <br />wildlife habitat as their primary object could have negative <br />impacts even on areas not affected by the proposed mine operation <br />itself. Among these adverse effects are non-point runoff <br />contaminants to irrigation canals and the St. Vrain River, <br />interference with wildlife migration routes and outright <br />destruction of habitat. <br />