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--` <br />The proposed gravel site is located on privately owned land on the south bank and adjacent to the <br />Colorado River (Figures 1 and 2). Current land use is irrigated pasture for livestock grazing <br />operated by the Soaring Eagle Ranch. Site setting is rural and isolated from surrounding <br />residential dwellings. Gravel resources sought for development by Grand Junction Pipe and <br />Supply Company (Grand Junction Pipe) are in the NYx, Section 35; E'/:, NE'/., Section 34; T.1 N, <br />R.2 W; Ute PM; Mesa County, Colorado. <br />The proposed action and alternatives require an environmental assessment (EA} to ensure <br />compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EA addresses potential <br />environmental impacts of proposed action, unavoidable consequences, mitigation, and alternatives <br />to the proposed action. Potential environmental impacts associated with a project of taus <br />magnitude tend to be less than the cumulative impacts of several smaller projects yielding similar <br />volume of material. Minimizing impacts is more achievable with the one large site because it <br />limits site access to one route and allows mitigation efforts to focus on the critical elements of <br />environment for one physiographic area rather than several. <br />Economic gravel resources in the County are mainly associated with fluvial deposits located along <br />the main stems of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. The majority of these gravel sites have <br />~ been mined resulting in dwindling supplies and gravel resources limited to smaller parcels. <br />Demand for reliable gravel sources in the area will continue to rise with Mesa County growth. <br />1.1 Purpose and Need Statement <br />Grand Junction Pipe is in the process of seeking approval to mine gravel from the Soaring Eagle <br />Ranch site. The mined gravel will be used to meet current demand needed for construction and <br />maintenance projects within the Grand Valley. Viable gravel sources of sufficient quality and <br />quantity are limited in the Grand Valley and are needed to meet the current annual demand of <br />about 1,000,800 tons. <br />State demographic data projects Mesa County population, especially in urbanized areas, to <br />increase at an annual average rate of nearly 2 percent over the next 11 years. Local gravel <br />shortages at the present time is acknowledged by the County, and is reflected in their development <br />policy stipulating that available gravel must be mined prior to developing land. <br />For a project alternative to be considered viable, it must meet the following criteria: <br />(1) contain sufficient quantity of gravel with low ratio of overburden to resource. <br />