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Water - General Requirements <br />In the valley floor, beyond the edge of the pit boundaries, small, very subtle drainages that tend <br />to connect with gullies on the side slopes of the valley are evident. As water flows off the top of <br />the land containing the gravel deposits, it encounters the steep valley edge that is composed <br />mostly of highly erodable gravel exposures. When water reaches the more level valley floor, <br />sediment from the steeper slopes above is deposited in small alluvial fans that, are mostly covered <br />with a dense growth of vegetation. As these fans develop, the drainages across and between <br />them change, but the entrance to this zone from the steeper slopes above stays fairly constant <br />over time. <br />Although the pit floor will have a subtle rolling topography as described above, discharge from <br />the pit to the Rock Creek valley will still occur. Since the retention of water in the pit is not <br />allowed under Colorado water law without prior approval, it is important to create configurations <br />that keep the water draining without reaching high velocities that can cause rapid erosion. <br />The discharge from the pit will be intentionally directed into existing drainageways in the valley <br />floor. Thus, the edge of the pit will likely have not only a horizontal blending to produce smooth <br />slope transitions, but it will be vertically variable to match rises and falls in the topography just <br />beyond the pit edge. <br />Initially, silt fence or other sedimentation best management techniques should be installed in all <br />drainages within about 50 feet of the edge of the affected land. Until the vegetation develops on <br />the pit floor there will be a fair amount of sediment discharge from the regraded and seeded pit <br />floor. These best management practices will aid in reducing the amount of sediment that leaves <br />the affected land. <br />No irrigation will be used in establishing the vegetation, so no water rights are required for those <br />purposes. No water storage will occur in the pit. <br />Water - Groundwater Specific Requirements <br />No groundwater is expected to be encountered in the mining and therefore the groundwater in <br />the valley floor should not be affected. <br />Wildlife Issues and Requirements <br />Presently, wildlife does not generally utilize the proposed amendment area. This is mainly due <br />to the dry conditions and distance from the nearest water source. Some large game may graze in <br />the area occasionally, but for the most part wildlife use is limited to passerine birds and small <br />mammals. <br />Following reclamation, however, conditions should change somewhat as the floor of the pit <br />should develop a stronger and more diverse vegetation growth. Water availability will still be <br />limited and that will limit use by wildlife that prefer to be near a water source. After lowering <br />Fountain Pit M- 1982 -155 <br />DRMS 112 Permit Amendment Page 15 <br />