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with the pit highwalls largely obscuring the lights from nearby homes. Furthermore, the <br />lights are directed down on the work and not pointed up which would create light <br />pollution. Night work is a rare event, but it can be required when demand is higher than <br />can be supplied during the normal work days. <br />Impacts on visual resources - Included at the end of this exhibit are three pages with <br />labeled photographs. These are three views of the area from different locations. Photo 1 is <br />the view from the east to northeast along County Road 29 and just west of the residential <br />area. The second photo is a view from the northwest along County Road 21 about one- <br />halfmile north of the northwest corner of Section 28 that includes the Miller Gravel Pit. <br />The third view is a panoramic composed of two merged images taken from County Road <br />21 near the top of the hill south of the turn on to Hunt Road. These three images provide <br />the most critical views of the site from the surrounding area. On each image the <br />approximate location of the pit boundary is shown with a red line and a dotted black line <br />shows the area that has been reclaimed within the existing pit. Although this reclaimed <br />area will be redisturbed, comparison of the color and texture of that area with the <br />surrounding area can provide some representation of how well the fully reclaimed pit will <br />fit into the surrounding landscape character. <br />From the location to the east (Photo 1) it is apparent that not only is the distance <br />so great that little detail can be seen, but the line of sight is almost parallel to the <br />topography in the area to be mined. This extremely low angle of view will greatly reduce <br />the impact as seen from the residential area just east of County Road 29. That said, it <br />must also be stated that the impact will not be zero. From this view location, the tops of <br />product stockpiles as well as the overburden topsoil stockpile can be seen. However, the <br />distance is great enough that they are not a significant part of the scene and appear to have <br />no greater impact than soiree other features, including houses, roadways, barns, and other <br />similar features at more or less the same distance. Although the disturbance will expand <br />in the direction of the viewpoint about 800 feet, from a distance of about 1.75 miles that <br />expansion will appear to be very small. Furthermore, most of the operation will be below <br />the highwall which will face to the west, in the direction of the line of sight. Although <br />slightly more of the pit will be visible from this viewpoint, most of the actual mining will <br />be hidden from view. The line of sight will pass over the operation. Between the eastern <br />edge of the pit and the viewpoint the broad grassland seen in the photo will remain. <br />Locations from the west, as can be seen in Photo 1, rise in elevation much more <br />rapidly than locations to the east of the pit area. Thus from the west, there will be greater <br />visibility due to increased elevation above the elevation of the pit and somewhat less <br />Miller Gravel Pit -Special Use Permit Page 19 of 26 <br />