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Home My WebLink About981568.tiff it\ MEMORANDUM '1111111 TO: Scott Ballstadt, W. C. Planning DATE: March 12, 1998 FROM: Sheble McConnellog e W.C. Health Department COLORADO CASE NO.: AMUSR-847 NAME: Weld County Public Works Environmental Protection Services has reviewed this proposal; the following condtions are recommended to be part of any approval: I) All liquid and solid wastes shall be stored and removed for final disposal in a manner that protects against surface and groundwater contamination. 2) No permanent disposal of wastes shall be permitted at this site. 3) Waste materials shall be handled, stored, and disposed in a manner that controls fugitive dust, blowing debris, and other potential nuisance conditions. 4) Fugitive dust shall be controlled on this site. 5) A dust abatement plan shall be submitted to the Weld County Health Department for approval prior to operation. The facility shall have sufficient equipment available to implement the dust control as required by the Weld County Health Department. 6) The existing Emission Permit must be modified for the increased operation if the Colorado Department of Health determines that such a modification represents a significant change in emissions or production. 7) The applicant shall remove, handle, and stockpile overburden, soil, sand and gravel from the facility area in a manner that will prevent nuisance condtions. 8) The operation shall comply with all applicable rule and regulations of the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology. 9) The maximum permissible noise level shall not exceed the industrial limit of 80 db(A) as measured according to 25-12-102, Colorado Revised Statutes. ' 10) The facility shall utilize the existing municipal sewage treatment system. 11) Adequate toilet facilities shall be provided for the employees. 12) The existing NPDES Permit must be amended for the increased operation if the Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment determines that such a modification represents a significant change in the discharge. 13) In accordance with the Above Ground Storage Tank Regulations(7 CCR 1101-14) a spillage retention berm shall be constructed around the tank battery. The volume retained by ; EXHIBIT 981568 _L Weld County Public Works AMUSR - 857 Page 2 spillage berm should be greater than the volume of the largest tank inside the berm. Alternative protective measures may be allowed provided they comply with the Above Ground Storage Tank Regulations. 14) The facility shall utilize the existing public water supply. 15) If applicable, the applicant shall obtain a stormwater discharge permit from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Water Quality Control Division. SM/vh3549 Pft CC y MAR fj, 9 1995 9!f0i 568 r'. OFFICE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Klty 1100 10TH STREET,GREELEY,COLORADO 80631 (970)350-9780 FAX(970)350-9800` eeley April 1, 1998 Mr. Scott Ballstadt Weld County Department of Planning Services 1400 N. 17th Avenue Greeley, CO 80631 Subject: USR-847 & AmSUP-369 Geisert Pit Dear Scott: The City of Greeley Planning Commission unanimously recommended that Weld County approve the proposed reduction in the size of the gravel mine site and urged Weld County to comply with the Greeley Entryway Master Plan (enclosed) by including street trees every 30 feet adjacent to 11th Avenue, providing vegetative screening for the chainlink fence visible from 11th Avenue, and including screening for the parking areas. The Entryway Master Plan was adopted as an element of our Comprehensive Plan and incorporates design guidelines for critical points of entry to the City. As usual, we appreciate the opportunity to comment on land use cases which impact the City of Greeley. Sincerely, r f" ti Wed County Planning Dept. Greg )tihompso Senior Planne APR 0 3 1998 enclosure IVED • EXNI$J l 9 31569 �l (1)(eisH"*" • Weld County Referral March 3, 1998 C. COLORADO The Weld County Department of Planning Services has received the following item for review: Applicant Weld County Public Works Case Number AmUSR-847 Please Reply By March 24, 1998 Planner Scott Ballstadt Project An Amendment to Site Specific Development Plans and Special Review Permit for Open Cut Gravel Mining to combine USR-847 and AmSUP-369 into one permit, as well as exclude 28.9 acres included in the original permits, all in the A (Agricultural) Zone District Legal All that part of the NE4SW4 and the NW4SE4 and the NE4SE4 of Section 31,T6N, R65W of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado. Location West of and adjacent to 11th Avenue and south of and adjacent to "O" Street Parcel Number 0803 31 000055 The application is submitted to you for review and recommendation. Any comments or recommendation you consider relevant to this request would be appreciated. Please reply by the above listed date so that we may give full consideration to your recommendation. Any response not received before or on this date may be deemed to be a positive response to the Department of Planning Services. If you have any further questions regarding the application, please call the Current Planner associated with the request. Weld County Planning Commission Hearing(if applicable) April 21, 1998 ❑ We have reviewed the request and find that it does/does not comply with our Comprehensive Plan ❑ We have reviewed the request and find no conflicts with our interests. ASee attached letter. Comments: Signature Date Agency J 6.aot ,eci .r. OWeld County Planning ept. +1400 N. 17th Ave.Greeley, CO. 80631 0(970)353-6100 ext.3540 0(970)352-6312 fax 981.568 1 _---c„, Attachrr_ nt E . Entryway Plan .-. ^ Levan I 'r.I 10th$nMIUS 34 Business I :Y AN Street �f. E "'..: .J4.. .. :, . .�,x. 18th tr 1 A., .. 5 S era i US 34 Bypass tans i STUDY AREA • . �� . ; ._. Galau'aY __ p Ditch' .—�_;_—.u--:��+••�—,..,1 •.Aroli..:- Entry Corridore ro % nts Industrial District ros Jyqt / I Industrial District The Industrial District primarily occurs along the US 85 Bypass. The rights-of-way and setbacks generally associated with this corridor are generous. Improvements within the right-of-way will need to comply with Colorado Department of Tranportation guidelines, I unless special permission for specific improvements has been granted by Colorado Depart- ment of Transportation. Specific situations include frontage roads and associated medians within the right-of-way. IGuidelines Street Lights: Placed at each corner of each intersection and standard spacing be- ll tween intersections along the corridor. Street Trees: Quads of trees shall be placed at 50' intervals in areas of wide rights-of- way such as the US 85 Bypass. In areas with narrow rights-of-way, street trees shall be installed 30'O.C..Trees shall be placed a minimum Iof 20'from the face of curb or edge of pavement. Landscape Additional landscape enhancements shall occur as a buffer zone be- tween the pathway/bikeway and the right-of-way line. This buffer zone I would screen parking areas or other potentially unsightly areas from the public view. Pathway/ Pathways/bikeways are encouraged in areas of wide rights-of-way Bikeway: where they shall be a minimum of 8'.wide, 10'preferred. They shall be located 25'from the face of curb or the edge of pavement.All pathways/ bikeways shall be detached from the roadway unless the right-of-way narrows to require an attached pathway/bikeway. 1 Fencing: Wood split-rail fencing shall be implemented at the right-of-way line delineating private property from the public right-orway only in wide right-of-way areas such as the US 85 Bypass.Generally use of chain I link is discouraged along entry corridors. However, in some areas it may be necessary for security purposes. In these cases the chain link fence must be screened from view with plant material. Access points to the pathway/bikeway shall occur every 1/4-1/2 miles and shall be wide 1 enough to allow maintenance vehicle access and comply with ADA specifications. Screen Walls: Screen walls shall be constructed of either wood or masonry to coin- 1 plement adjacent buildings. Maxinium height for screen walls in the Industrial District shall be 6 feet. 1 1 961.568 1 STATE OF COLORADO COLORADO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Division of Minerals and GeologyDepa ry yPin 11101i 1313 ment f Street, Resourcesm715r nip al8nning UgM` 1313 Sherman Street, Room 715 V Denver,Colorado 80203 N�le5U March 26, 1998 Phone(303)866-2611 FAX(303)866-2461 OR 0 2 j998 DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL Mr. Scott Ballstadt nett Cr e,� E-98-0023 RESOURCES Weld County Planning Departmen Roy Romer 1400 N. 17th Ave. Governor Greeley, CO 80631 James S.Lochhead Executive Director Michael B.Long Division Director Re: Geisert Pit/Amended USR-847/Amended SUP-369 Vicki Cowart CGS Review'No.WE-98-0023 ale Geologist and Director J \L0, ( ,r/ Dear Mr. Ballstadt: 361 6 r Oi i r In response to your request and in accordance with House Bill 1041 (1974) and Senate Bill 35 (1972) I visited this property to review the revised plans. The site consists of two parcels, each separately permitted for gravel extraction. It is the intent for the county to vacate the northern parcel(permit USR-847), with respect to mining, and develop the site as an extension to a business park. Mining would continue in the southern parcel (permit SUP-369)and 9.1 acres would be designated for commercial buildings. Grading on the northern parcel was underway at the time of my visit. 1)Flood plain. The planned development will occur adjacent to the Cache La Poudre River. Based on examination of FIRM panel 080266 628C, 1982, the annexed area in the northern parcel appears to be beyond Zone A, where base flood elevations have been established. Some of the westernmost building area may lie in zone B, which is mapped as being susceptible to the 100-500 year event. However, the southern annexed 9.1 acres appear to lie in part within zones A and B. Since the date of the FIRM panel drainage improvements may have been made to the area that have changed the flood plain boundaries- Nevertheless, the Weld County Public Works Department is required by FEMA to apply for a Flood Plain Development Permit for the 9.1 acres in the southern parcel. The structures that will be built within this area must conform to the regulations formulated by FEMA. 2) Soil. The site is covered with alluvial sediments,chiefly sand and gravel, of the Cache La Poudre River. This material generally provides good building substrate. However,the proximity of the river and the ponds adds a wetness factor to the soils because of communication between the groundwater and surface water. It should be expected that groundwater will rise during periods of high surface water flow, and this condition must be compensated for in structural design. It is not clear whether the wetlands-to-be on the northern parcel will be composed of the existing hydrophilic soils and wetlands vegetation, or additional pond area. A soil-vegetation buffer zone would help retard groundwater seepage to the proposed business park annex. ,X81$IT ?8'.5fS I ► a Geisert Pit,p.2 Grading was underway during the time of my visit and the proposed building site on the northern parcel was being built up with fill derived from the mining operation. This additional base will help counteract seepage that may occur during periods of high groundwater. Subgrade construction should be avoided. 3)Drainage. A drainage plan must be prepared that discusses how stormwater flow will be managed. In summary, construction of Public Works buildings should not proceed until a Flood Plain Development Permit is approved. The onsite soils are prone to wetness; therefore earthwork in the proposed building area must include provisions for fill placement, which will raise the base elevation of structures. Please call me if there are any questions. amours truly, Celia Greenman 0 Geologist 961.568 (cep" OF 4-A 4 DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY a CORPS OF ENGINEERS, OMAHA DISTRICT "tlpl':: TRI-LAKES PROJECT OFFICE, 9307 STATE HWY 121 _ ` LITTLETON, COLORADO 80128-6901 ',trys til Y TO ' AUNT ON OF April 2, 1998 Weld County Planning Dept. APR 0 6 1998 Mr. Scott Ballstadt Weld County Planning Department RECEIVED 1400 North 17th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80631 RE: Weld County Public Works, Case No. AmUSR-847, Corps File No. 199380832 Dear Mr. Ballstadt: Reference is made to the Weld County Public Works project (your Case No. AmUsr- 847) located in the Northeast Quarter of the Southeast Quarter of Section 31, Township 6 North, Range 65 West, Weld County, Colorado. Before any work at this site begins which may involve the discharge of dredged or fill material in streams or wetlands, the property should be examined for wetlands pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Any wetlands should be delineated and mapped. This office should be contacted by a proponent of the project for proper Department of the Army permits or changes in permit requirements prior to any work in an existing wetland or stream. Please find the attached list of Environmental Consultants who may assist in the wetland delineation and mapping. If there are any questions concerning this matter, please contact Mr. Terry McKee at 303-979-4120 and reference Corps File No. 199380832 Sincerely, Timot T. arey Project Manager Enclosure -S III EXHIBIT 961.568 0 Kilviss • • Weld County Referral C I ✓D March 3, 1998 ff.--T e 1 COLORADO The Weld County Department of Planning Services has received the following item for review: Applicant Weld County Public Works Case Number AmUSR-847 , Please Reply By March 24, 1998 Planner Scott Ballstadt Project An Amendment to Site Specific Development Plans and Special Review Permit for Open Cut Gravel Mining to combine USR-847 and AmSUP-369 into one permit, as well as exclude 28.9 acres included in the original permits, all in the A (Agricultural) Zone District Legal All that part of the NE4SW4 and the NW4SE4 and the NE4SE4 of Section 31,T6N, R65W of the 6th P.M.,Weld County, Colorado. Location West of and adjacent to 11th Avenue and south of and adjacent to "O"Street Parcel Number 0803 31 000055 The application is submitted to you for review and recommendation. Any comments or recommendation you consider relevant to this request would be appreciated. Please reply by the above listed date so that we may give full consideration to your recommendation. Any response not received before or on this date may be deemed to be a positive response to the Department of Planning Services. If you have any further questions regarding the application, please call the Current Planner associated with the request. Weld County Planning Commission Hearing(if applicable) April 21, 1998 ❑ We have reviewed the request and find that it does/does not comply with our Comprehensive Plan ❑ We have reviewed the request and find no conflicts with our interests. See attached letter. Comments: Signature T1 MCI -- Date mop G) ((NIB Agency CO0 -) o EA3 C- +Weld County Planning Dept. 01400 N. 17th Ave.Greeley,CO. 80631 0(970)353-6100 ext.3540 0(970)352-6312 fax £91.568 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS for wetlands determinations & delineations. This list is not compiled to endorse any specific consultant PEGGY ANDERSON ALLEN CROCKETT ALLISON JONES 420 Sunset Street Schafer & Associates, Inc. MDG Inc. Longmont, CO 80501 801 14th Street 820 Santa Fe Drive (303) 776-4636, 545-2910 Golden, CO 80401 Denver, CO 80204 FAX (303) 776-4636 (303) 216-1600 (303) 571-5787 FAX (303) 216-1316 FAX (303) 571-5788 SAMUEL A. BAMBERG, PhD JEFFEREY L. DAWSON DEBORAH KEAMMERER Bamberg Associates Woodward-Clyde Consultants Keammerer Ecological 26050 E. Jamison Cir. Stanford Place 3, Suite 1000 Consultants, Inc. Aurora, CO 80016 4852 S. Ulster Street Parkway 5858 Woodbourne Hollow Rd (303) 690-7402 Denver, CO 80237 Boulder, CO 80301 FAX (303) 680-9203 (303) 694-2770 (303) 530-1783 FAX (303) 581-9219 ERIC BERG STEVEN DOUGHERTY Wildland Consultants, Inc. ERO Resources Corporation STEPHEN G. LONG 622 East 8th Street 1842 Clarkson St STEVE VIERT Loveland, CO 80537 Denver, CO 80218 Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. (970) 635-2436 (303) 830-1188 916 Wiltshire Avenue FAX (303) 830-1199 Fort Collins, CO 80525 DENNIS BLINKHORN (970) 493-4394, 229-9278, 6496 Manila Rd. SCOTT ELLIS & PHIL 223-0775 Goshen, OH 45122 HACKNEY FAX (970) 493-4394 (513) 625-3721 ENSR 1601 Prospect Parkway GARY R. LAKE TED BOSS Fort Collins, CO 80525 Terranext T.R. Boss Consulting (970) 493-8878 165 South Union Blvd. 308 Milkyway FAX (970) 493-0213 Union Tower, Ste 1000 TEA\p # Fort Collins, CO 80525 Lakewood, CO 80228 (605)245.. i916 (970) 223-5145 CLIFF HAM (303) 914-1775 FAX (970) 223-5145 Foundation & Soils FAX (303) 914-1709 Engineering, Inc. DAVID L. BUCKNER 5110 Granite, Suite D DAVID MEHAN ESCO Associates Loveland, CO 80538 Wright Water Engineers P.O. Box 18775 (970) 663-0138 2490 W. 26th Avenue, Ste Boulder, CO 80308 FAX (970) 663-1660 100A (303) 447-2999 Denver, CO 80211 FAX (303) 499-4276 LOREN HETTINGER, PhD (303) 480-1700 Dames & Moore FAX (303) 480-1020 JANE BUNIN, PhD First Interstate Tower North Natural Science Associates 633 Seventeenth St., Suite 2500 JOSE-MARIA MERINO, 4814 W. Moorehead Cir. Denver, CO 80202-3625 PhD Boulder, CO 80303 (303) 294-9100 engineering-environmental (303) 499-5014 FAX (303) 299-7901 Management, Inc. (e2M) FAX (303) 499-4276 7000 S. Yoseite, Suite 295 DAVID JOHNSON Englewood, CO 80112-2004 LORI CARPENTER Western Ecological Resource, (303) 721-9219 Huffman & Associates, Inc. Inc. FAX (303) 721-9202 3969 S. McCarran Blvd. 711 Walnut Street Reno, NV 89502 Boulder, CO 80302 PATRICK H. MURPHY (702) 828-1991 (303) 449-9009 Ecotone Corporation FAX (702) 828-2302 FAX (303) 449-9038 1554 North Street Boulder, Colorado 80304-3514 MR KELLY S. COLFER STEVE JOHNSON (303) 444-4358J Western Bionomics, LLC Riverside Technology, Inc. 3037 Wells Fargo Drive 2290 East Prospect Rd, Ste 1 Fort Collins, CO 80521 Fort Collins, CO 80525 Phone/Fax (970) 221-9136 (970) 484-7573 e FAX (970) 484-7593 Q 9 1:J6e ERIK OLGEIRSON, PhD MIKE STANTON 4440 Tule Lake Drive Quaternary Environmental Littleton, CO 80123 Consulting (303) 347-8212 1210 South Park Drive FAX (303) 347-8348 Monument, CO 80132 (719) 488-2769 MARY L. POWELL ERO Resources Corporation DAVID STEINMANN 1842 Clarkson St Professional Wetlands Denver, CO 80218 Consulting (303) 830-1188 20 Rim Road FAX (303) 830-1199 Boulder, CO 80302 (303) 444-1715 GRANT E. GURNEE' FAX (303) 443-6141 Aquatic & Wetland Company 1655 Walnut St Ste 205 JACKSON D. SUMMERS Boulder, CO 80302 J.D. Summers & Associates (303) 442-5770 1930 W. Madison FAX (303) 442-8133 Vandalia, IL 62471 MARK RUDOLPH PETER SWIFT 2069 Fairfax St. Swift & Associates Denver, CO 80207 421 21st Ave, Suite 212 (303) 329-0978 Longmont, CO 80501 FAX (303) 291-8272 (303) 772-7052 FAX (303) 651-7226 DAVID RUX Contra Ltd. DARCY A. TIGLAS 8795 Ralston Rd, Ste 240 Tiglas Ecological Services Arvada, CO 80002 5015 Swainsona Drive (303) 431-0505 Loveland, CO 80537 (970) 635-9183 MICHAEL S. SAVAGE Savage and Savage, Inc. GARY TUTTLE 464 West Sumac Ct. PAM ACRE Louisville, CO 80027 Tuttle Applegate Inc. (303) 666-7372 11990 Grant St, Ste 410 FAX (303) 665-6808 Denver, CO 80233 (303) 452-6611 RANDY SCHROEDER FAX (303) 452-2759 Greystone Development Consultants 5990 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Ste 250 Englewood, CO 80111 (303) 850-0930 FAX (303) 721-9298 PETER L. SMITH Sugnet & Associates 1422 Delgany Street, Suite 47 Denver, Colorado 80202 (303) 436-0951 • FAX (303) 436-0953 BRUCE D. SNYDER Parsons Engineering-Science, Inc. 1700 Broadway, Suite 900 Denver, CO 80290 (303) 831-8100 FAX (303) 831-8208 9 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS PAGE 2 81.$f8 rs ctif W r.,. P;ifrirlr, n APR z 0 »g$ Weld County Referral March 3, 1998 txzma COLORADO The Weld County Department of Planning Services has received the following item for review: Applicant Weld County Public Works Case Number AmUSR-847 Please Reply By March 24, 1998 Planner Scott Ballstadt Project An Amendment to Site Specific Development Plans and Special Review Permit for Open Cut Gravel Mining to combine USR-847 and AmSUP-369 into one permit, as well as exclude 28.9 acres included in the original permits, all in the A(Agricultural)Zone District Legal All that part of the NE4SW4 and the NW4SE4 and the NE4SE4 of Section 31,T6N, R65W of the 6th P.M.,Weld County, Colorado. Location West of and adjacent to 11 th Avenue and south of and adjacent to "0" Street Parcel Number 0803 31 000055 The application is submitted to you for review and recommendation. Any comments or recommendation you consider relevant to this request would be appreciated. Please reply by the above listed date so that we may give full consideration to your recommendation. Any response not received before or on this date may be deemed to be a positive response to the Department of Planning Services. If you have any further questions regarding the application, please call the Current Planner associated with the request. Weld County Planning Commission Hearing(if applicable) April 21, 1998 ❑/We have reviewed the request and find that it does/does not comply with our Comprehensive Plan t9' We have reviewed the request and find no conflicts with our interests. / ❑" See attached letter. Comments: Signature �c Date Agency W \\a\ •Weld County Planning Dept. 01400 N. 17th Ave. Greeley, CO. 80631 0(970) 353-6100 ext.3540 0(970) 35 12.1 ( 0 ?S1 568 oe ace 6 STATE OF COLORADO Roy Romer, Governor 45Jca(d Cn!in.b EJl?f ! ,nr 1- +, �- n"` DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF WILDLIFE o0 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER APR 2 0 lggg John W. Mumma, Director I l e97Y EI997 6060 Broadway 7` 3. yip ,t xa.:,;: Denver, Colorado 80216 ! ^"s y�^' '�„y. OF MANAGING Telephone: 1303) 297-1192 U Y�''' 'I �Y YOUR WILDLIFE April 19, 1998 Larry Rogstad, District Wildlife Manager 1528 28th Avenue Court Greeley, Colorado 80631 Phone:970-352-2143 Mr. Scott Ballstadt, Planner Weld County Department of Planning Services 1400 North 17th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80631 Re: AmUSR-847 Weld Co. Public Works Dear Scott, I received the above referenced packet concerning an open cut gravel mine operated by Weld County north of Island Grove Park. I reviewed the information contained in the application and over the years have been on site on many occasions. In this letter you will find the Division of Wildlife comments on this proposal. The Division would support combining USR-847 and AmSUP-369 into one permit. From a planning standpoint, it makes sense to implement operation and reclammation of the entire parcel as a whole. Portions of the parcel adjacent to 11th Avenue have relatively low wildlife value, and would fit better in the commercial building complex that is developing to the north. The reclammation plan calls for construction of an additional 8.2 acres of wetlands over the current plan. The additional wetlands will be constructed adjacent to the current wetland mitigation area, and will consequently greatly enhance the overall value of the wetlands for wildlife. The primary future use post-mining will continue to be as wildlife habitat. In an effort to maximize the site's potential as wildlife/recreational habitat, the Division would make the following suggestions concerning the reclammation of the site after mining is completed: ❖ Hedge or shrub plantings should be used to provide a visual screen between the commercial complex (and street) and the wetland/pond area. The Division can furnish a list of appropriate plant species on request. If fencing is installed it should be of a design that will allow free passage of wildlife. Post and rail fences are a good design for this purpose. Chain link fencing should be avoided whenever possible. .9291568 DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES,James S. Lochhead, Executive Director WILDLIFE COMMISSION,Arnold Salazar, Chairman •Mark LeValley, Secretary•Jesse Langston Boyd,Jr., Member Rebecca L. Frank, Member•William R. Hegberg, Member•James R.Long, Member•John Stulp,Members Louis F. Swift, Member ❖ Additional plantings of trees and shrubs should be installed to provide cover and roosting sites for terrestrial species. Trees and shrubs should be maintained in a way that will minimize damage by beaver. Grass mixtures for revegetation work should be composed of mixtures of several grass species and legumes appropriate for the site and soil. ❖ Pond shorelines should be shaped in smooth, curving contours rather than angular cuts. The berm between ponds 2 and 3 should be removed to create a single large pond. A large pond will increase survivability of stocked fish species. It will also help protect fish from heavy fishing pressure. Removing the berm will decrease the need to revegetate 200+ linear feet of shoreline. Banking should vary from 4:1 to 8:1 to allow portions of the pond to develop cattail/bullrush habitat. The bottom of the pond should be left uneven with shallows, shoals and deepwater dropoffs. To increase variety in spawning habitat, deposits of sand and gravel should cover portions of the bottom and shoreline area. Before final filling, tree trunks, large rocks and artificial reefs should be placed on the pond bottoms to provide holding habitat. ❖ The ponds should not be lined or used as storage vessels if their intended use is for fish and wildlife habitat. ❖ If the ponds are unlined, and will not face significant draw down, it would be advisable to remove the east west haul road between the wetland area on the north and ponds 2 and 3. This could be done by taking the center portion of the road down to the water line creating emergent vegetation habitat. Deep cuts could then be dug at the east and West End of the road to completely eliminate access to the south end of the wetland. Doing this would increase the size of the pond, provide additional shallows and shoals, and would make the wetlands less prone to disturbance by terrestrial predators and humans. Additionally, it would decrease the amount of shoreline revegetation needed by approximately 1800 linear feet. ❖ Each pond left after mining should have one ramp available for launching boats. If possible, the ramp should be paved or gravelled for accessability. Adequate boat ramps are essential for water safety and fishery management activities. ❖ Street runoff should not be funnelled directly into the completed ponds or wetlands. Runoff should be channeled into settling ponds and from there into the wetland/pond complex. ❖ The ponds should not communicate by direct channel with the Poudre River. Drop structures, gravel weirs or other barriers should be used to prevent migration of carp and suckers from the river into the ponds. ❖ As each pond is abandoned the Division of Wildlife would request access to begin sampling and stocking appropriate fish species for the site and final use. It often takes several years to establish a multilayer fishery. If a recreational fishery 981568 seems appropriate, we would suggest that Weld County, The City of Greeley and The Division work cooperatively to maximize the resource for our shared customers. Fishing is Fun grant monies, available thru the DOW, can be accessed to create an outstanding amenity to Island Grove Regional Park. Some of the work that will be necessary to reclaim the site may be used to leverage that grant source. There may also be other funding sources available to complete this project. ❖ A road along the river dike and around the west and north side of pond 1 should be maintained to allow access for maintenance and safety purposes. Access along this road should be limited to official vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists. ❖ Public access to the wetland should be minimized. Access to the ponds should be by trail with offsite parking. ti• Schools and other interested groups should be encouraged to participate in developing the site whenever possible. I have many contacts that would like to particpate in trail building, planting, creation of fish structure and other activities that will be needed here. Finally, I would like the applicant to know that the Division of Wildlife would be anxious to provide input on wetland restoration, fisheries or other wildlife matters on any of their projects. We have wetlands and fishery restoration experts on staff that are always ready to make a site visit and provide up to date advice on all aspects of reclammation work. Call me and I can set up a date to meet. As always, it has been a pleasure reviewing the application sent by your agency. We are excited to see that the future plans for this site will significantly benefit the wildlife resource. We hope to work with Weld County Public Works on this project in any way that will be of benefit to our shared interests. Feel free to call on me if I can be of further service. Best Regards, Larry Rogstad P91568 Hello