As with real estate, when it comes to mining gravel, it’s all about location.

And among Montezuma County gravel pits, "location" has historically meant in the scenic but mineral-rich Dolores River Valley, the next high-stakes battleground between property owners eager to exercise the right to sell high-grade river rock and the people who live and play next door.

"You can’t mine gravel where it isn’t," deadpanned Steve Shuey, an environmental specialist with the Colorado Divisions of Minerals and Geology in Durango. "Unfortunately the best sand and gravel ends up being in river valleys, which are also the most popular places to live."

Come Sept. 11, that conflict will be played out once again at a second public hearing scheduled before the county commission to gather more information and input on a controversial pit proposed at the Line Camp 6 miles northeast of Dolores. The land is currently leased and used by the Line Camp Chuckwagon, a popular tourist attraction.

The hearing continuation was set for Monday, but was postponed at the request of the developer.

Four States Aggregate and landowner Val Truelson are requesting a high-impact permit from the commission to exceed threshold standards established for new development in the county’s land-use plan. They want to mine sand and gravel for five years on part of an 18-acre parcel of meadow adjacent to the Dolores River, but need a high-impact permit from the county because the operation will exceed threshold levels for noise, dust and traffic.

With growth occurring rapidly in the state and the county, the need for road construction and maintenance is high. Speculators turn to the Dolores River Valley, which has become a hot spot for the aggregate industry because it contains large amounts of quality, naturally cleaned rock preferred by state employees for paving and repaving Colorado’s byways. River sand also makes an ideal cement used for building foundations, sidewalks and driveways, a big part of the lucrative construction trade.

The Dolores River Valley has been heavily used as a profitable source for this extractive industry. Since 1976, the year mining fell under state regulation, 52 permits were approved by the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology to harvest gravel, sand and sandstone in Montezuma County. Of those sites, 22 are currently being either mined or reclaimed by the owners and companies, according to state records.

One-third of the active permits are for operations within a 10-mile stretch of the Dolores Valley, representing the highest concentration of gravel pits in the county.

The popularity of mines in the valley is nothing new. Of the 30 permitted sites that were mined, reclaimed and then terminated by the state as completed, 15 fall within the valley’s borders. That brings the total amount of finished and active mines in the river valley to 22 sites, or 42 percent of all permits issued since 1976, mine-permit records show.

The question now is whether to allow mining at a new site.

"I’m really still on the fence about this one," said Commissioner Kent Lindsay. "But I’ll go out on a limb and say that if it is approved, it will be the last one for that area."

Before the commission’s land-use plan regulating high-use impacts was adopted in July 1998, prospective gravel-mine companies were required only to obtain a permit from the state.

The extra approval layer acts as a check and balance for mining, giving local government a chance to mitigate the social impacts of mining left out of the state application process.

"A lot of the complaints we get are out of our jurisdiction, which can be maddening because nothing can be done, yet there is tons more paperwork when people object," said Shuey of the state process for approval of mine operations.

"The minimum standards for reclamation are set in statutes and are not that hard to meet, so counties without zoning laws that have to deal with gravel mines are in real trouble," he said.

The commission plans to pick up the slack of the state process, which largely encourages mining, and has requested that Truelson submit a detailed reclamation plan for the land after it is mined, in addition to other assurances that go beyond state and federal rules.

What neighbors of the proposed Line Camp gravel pit want to know is if there is a limit to how much gravel can be mined out of the valley before the collective disruption diminishes residents’ quality of life and the natural ecosystems there. The lush river valley, surrounded by private and federal lands, supports habitat for fish, deer, elk, and mountain lion and provides a yearly feeding ground for the stately American bald eagle.

Carol Stepe, who owns a ranch that borders the Tam gravel pit on the south and the Line Camp on the north, dreads the thought of another mine going up on her family’s property line.

She and her husband have grudgingly come to terms with the nearby Tam Pit operation, opting to build a new home as far from it as possible in order to escape construction noise and dust.

That meant moving to the very northern edge of their property, where they have nearly completed a dream log-cabin home, only to learn that another gravel mine is planned for a spot practically out their front door.

"We rearranged our lives to accommodate the one we are near, but now we would be literally surrounded by gravel pits if this one is approved," she said. "There has to be a limit, and what people do not realize is that more are planned for the area. It just can’t take any more. The people and wildlife that live here will suffer."

She and other neighbors also worry about the increased danger brought by slow-moving gravel trucks pulling out of the mine and directly onto a 65 mph stretch of Highway 145, a leg of the San Juan Skyway, a highway loop famous for its scenery. Stepe said that she has seen more accidents there as a result of the mine traffic.

Four States needs commission approval before starting the permitting process with the state’s Division of Minerals and Geology, which regulates mine cleanup and operations. In addition, the company must obtain a permit for access to the mine off Highway 145 from the Colorado Department of Transportation.