Laserfiche WebLink
<br />RECEIVED <br />FES 11 WO <br />RARE EART_ SCIENCEmywon Of <br />www.rareearthscience.com <br />February 5, 2010 <br />Leon Moores <br />Moores Mining, LLC <br />32906 Highway 141 <br />Gateway, Colorado 81522 <br />Re: Wetland Opinion <br />Moores Mining Parcel - Corps of Engineers ID NUMBER SPK-2009-01717 <br />Mesa County, Colorado <br />Dear Mr. Moores: <br />At the request of Thomas A. Logue, Land Development Consultant and in response to U.S. Army <br />Corps of Engineers (Corps) correspondence dated January 7, 2010, Rare Earth Science, LLC (Rare <br />Earth) evaluated a Moores Mining, LLC (Moores Mining) parcel in Mesa County, Colorado (County <br />Parcel 3471-023-00-074) for the presence of wetlands and waters of the U.S. potentially under the <br />jurisdiction of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The subject parcel consists of 23.5 acres north of <br />and adjacent to Colorado Highway 141, approximately 9 miles northeast of the community of <br />Gateway. The subject parcel is the proposed site for expansion of an existing Moores Mining <br />aggregate operation (see Figures 1 and 2, e), and the 112 Reclamation Permit application process <br />has been initiated with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS). In addition <br />to reviewing published maps and literature, I personally inspected the subject parcel on February 2, <br />2010, and concluded that no wetlands or water bodies under the jurisdiction of Section 404 of the <br />Clean Water Act exist on the parcel. <br />The findings of my site inspection and published map and literature review are summarized as <br />follows: <br />Hydrology: No permanent or ephemeral water bodies were observed on the subject parcel, <br />nor are any permanent or ephemeral water bodies indicated by the local topographic <br />quadrangle (see Figure 1). The site inspection focused on the three natural drainage <br />patterns traversing the property from north to south, where wetland hydrology would be most <br />likely to exist (e.g., springs, seeps, ponds, or streams). These drainage patterns were dry <br />gullies or erosional features, with no signs of surface water flow, seeps, or springs. The <br />nearest water body to the subject parcel is West Creek, a perennial stream which lies south <br />of Highway 141 (Figure 1). <br />PO Box 1245 * NOMA, COIORAdo 81428 * 970.527.8445 * dAWN@RAREEARThSCIENCE.COM