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because the topography to the north and especially northwest rises fairly quickly from the Running <br />Creek valley bottom. However, there is no developed land in that direction and access is limited. So, <br />although visibility is greater, viewing the pit from that direction does not often occur. Intervening <br />hills obscure views of the mining and from most areas along County Road 21 north of Hunt Road. <br />With expansion of the pit one might naturally assume that production may increase <br />accordingly. Although some increasing production occurs as a result of increasing market demand, <br />the expansion is primarily desired because the existing reserve is almost depleted. It should not be <br />immediately assumed that there will be a major jump in production from this expansion which would <br />lead to large increases in truck traffic, noise, dust and all the other less desirable aspects of gravel <br />pits. That said, there is a considerable amount of development occurring in this part of the county, but <br />sand resources for use as structural fill around foundations and other uses is not readily available <br />without this sand pit. There are other sources, but most of those are more distant which adds to the <br />cost of construction as well as other less identifiable costs such as wear and tear on roads, added air <br />pollution from a longer haul distance, and a larger "nuisance" factor with haul trucks bringing fill <br />and other materials for construction. From a planning perspective, the ideal situation is to acquire <br />these materials from the land being developed, but that is not often an available option. The next best <br />option is haulage of the materials from a nearby source. Thus, the expansion of this sand pit will aid <br />in efficient construction of nearby approved projects so as to limit the range of impacts produced by <br />a need to haul from more distant sources. When the mining is completed the land will be returned to <br />an agricultural use as a part of a large cattle ranch operation. <br />Miller Gravel Pit -Special Use Permit Page 2 of 26 <br />