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Post-reclamation ground water depletions, if any, will be replaced through a Colorado <br />• Water Court approved Plan of Augmentation. <br />8.8 Hydrologic Balance Overview <br />Introduction <br />The proposed Morton Lakes Sand and Gravel Pit are located in parts of Section 1 <br />and Section 12, Township 1 North, Range 67 West, 6`h P.M., Weld County, Colorado. <br />The site is approximately one half mile west of Fort Lupton, south of Colorado State <br />Highway 52 and west of Colorado State Highway 85. <br />The proposed mining operation is west of the South Platte River. It will affect the <br />South Platte River in the form of groundwater depletions due to evaporation and water <br />uses associated with mining. The impacts to the South Platte River can be mitigated <br />without injury to the vested senior water rights. Mining at the Morton Lakes Sand and <br />Gravel Pit will last approximately 12 years. <br />The proposed reclamation plan will create four (4) slurry wall sealed pits that will <br />not be hydraulically connected to the South Platte River alluvial aquifer. The proposed <br />• mining plan will also create a 17 acre unlined pond. This pond will be used during <br />mining for the disposal of wash fines which will ultimately backfill the pond. The <br />remaining four mining stages will each be sealed prior to mining and have a total surface <br />area of approximately 115 acres. A substitute water supply plan (SWSP) pursuant to <br />C.R.S. 37-90-137, will be filed with and approved by the State Engineer's Office (SEO) <br />for replacement of the depletions during mining. <br />Water Requirements <br />Water use at the site will include evaporation from exposed groundwater, sand and <br />gravel processing, water retained in material removed from the site, concrete batching <br />and dust control. The mining operation will extract sand and gravel deposits from the <br />South Platte alluvium that is approximately 30 feet deep and this alluvial groundwater <br />system is hydraulically connected to the South Platte River. The depth to groundwater is <br />approximately 5 feet below the surface. <br /> <br />4