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u <br />1415, <br />Attachment G-1 <br />Lafarge West, Inc. - Parsons Mine <br />Groundwater Monitoring and Mitigation Plan <br />PURPOSE <br />This Groundwater Monitoring and Mitigation Plan is prepared as part of Lafarge's <br />application to the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) for a <br />permit for the "Parsons Mine" in Weld County, Colorado. This plan presents the methods <br />and locations for monitoring of groundwater during gravel mining and site reclamation <br />activities. Although adverse impacts to groundwater are not anticipated as a result of <br />Lafarge's activities at the Parsons Mine, this plan also addresses how any adverse effects to <br />groundwater would be mitigated, should they occur. <br />Lafarge will submit a Temporary Substitute Water Supply Plan to the State Engineer's <br />Office for approval. The temporary substitute supply plan is designed to protect senior <br />vested water rights and mitigate potential depletions of flows in adjacent waterways. <br />BACKGROUND <br />The proposed Parsons Mine is located in Weld County, Colorado, near the Town of <br />Windsor. The site occupies approximately 381 acres, which includes portions of Sections <br />30 and 31, Township 6 North, Range 66 West, and portions of Sections 25 and 36, <br />Township 6 North, Range 67 west (Figure 1). <br />The Cache la Poudre River flows through the southern portion of the site in a west to east <br />direction. Several small ponds exist in the middle portion of the site. On the adjacent <br />property to the east and southeast of the site, Hall Irwin Construction Company mines sand <br />and gravel from their "Firestein Pit." Dewatering flows are discharged to the Cache la <br />Poudre River. Several mine reclamation ponds also exist to the east and southeast of the <br />site, with the largest being the Siebring Reservoir. These ponds help mitigate potential <br />impacts to groundwater users to the east and southeast of their property. <br />Sand and gravel will be extracted by the "dry" mining method. That is, mine cells will be <br />dewatered using a perimeter drain to facilitate extraction of the gravel. The actual mining <br />limits are anticipated to cover approximately 189 acres and the available gravel resource is <br />anticipated to be mined for approximately 20 years; however, the rate of mining and overall <br />life of the mine is dependent upon demand and market conditions. A processing plant will <br />be built on-site to process resource materials from the mine. The reclamation plan for the <br />mine includes several unlined ponds that will be sourced with groundwater inflow. <br />Lafarge West, Inc. - Parsons Mine <br />Groundwater Monitoring and Mitigation Plan