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(Item 2 cont.) Contrary to statements made by the applicants, I do not believe that the Dolores River is a warm water fishery as evidenced by its predominant populations of trout species and its migratory salmon runs. Such species will likely be sensitive to and affected by significant elevations in water temperatures. Surely, water held in the sediment basin, even for short extended periods, and exposed directly to sunlight will experience some rise in mass temperature. Surely, water diverted to the sediment basin from the rock crushing operation will carry with it not only some heat transfer generated by the mechanical action of fracturing the rock but very fine sediment particles as well. These very tine particles are not apt to be completely removed by treatment in the sediment basin and will likely remain suspended in the outflow water. This by itself poses the risk that reproductive health of the fishery could be seriously damaged by these fines, which ultimately will settle out as layers of suffocating silt over egg pods at the bottom of the slower moving spawning areas of the river. 3) There is a reasonable and substantively based likelihood that mining operations will temporarily lower the water table in the region especially during the dewatering and mining phases of the lower secondary stage gravel. The expected impact of this will be a reduction in yield of nearby water wells even though these wells are located beyond the 600 ft so-called safe or non-impact zone from the closest mine pit boundary.This will also result in further concentration of potentially hazardous dissolved solids in the well water. Lowered water tables may also affect the health of and/or even cause the loss of mature cottonwoods and other desirable woody vegetation because the shallow root systems of these species are unable to reach the water. Increased concentrations of dissolved mineral salts may also pose a toxic threat to trees and vegetation in the immediate riparian region. Both of these conditions very possibly could extend beyond the pit owner's boundaries to neighboring privately held lands. 4) Environmental monitoring and documentation procedures are not required or intended. Their absence will provide no assurance that all water discharges into the Dolores River from mining operations will meet acceptable and safe water quality standards and will not insure that these discharges do not in any way result in a diminuitive change in the downstream pre-mining water quality baseline profile of the river. (page 2)