During the spring, summer and fall, the times of year when your windows are wide open and you’re spending most of your time outside, you would hear the constant sound of crushers, the noise of the trucks and the constant beeping when they back up. Your house is constantly dusty and diesel fumes waft in. Lighting illuminates the night sky, obliterating the stars. What would your property be worth if you wanted, or needed, to sell it?

There will be two gravel operations within one mile on Highway 145. The Tam Pits were recently granted approval to expand. Although the Montezuma land use code limits the number of heavy vehicles, county commissioners allowed the Line Camp more than twice the specified number.

We estimate that there will be one truck every three minutes. These trucks slow to a near stop when making turns into and out of the pits, blocking both lanes of traffic on 145, a 60 mph zone.

All of us along the Dolores River Corridor will have to endure the noise and the fumes. Even more significant, what about safe travel for residents, their school children, tourists and all who must use this state road?

Our concerns are very broad and extend into the future. Colorado is a rapidly growing state and the need for gravel is explosive. The Dolores River Valley, a nationally designated scenic byway, is potentially a great resource for increasing excavation.

However, there are many other sources in the county, away from residential and traveled scenic areas. Many counties in the state have developed extraction plans. Montezuma and Dolores counties have not. Nor do they have specific guidelines or laws pertaining to gravel extraction.

There are many state agencies which have some regulatory authority, but most often, we find guidelines inadequate or unenforced and coordination nonexistent. Most effective regulation has occurred at the county level in other areas in Colorado and the nation. Some counties are even setting money aside to purchase land and/or assist ranchers and farmers in maintaining rural areas.

The pits along the Dolores River are in the flood plain and extend down into the water table. The effects of multiple pits on water quality and quantity have not been evaluated or even considered. During flooding, pits are subject to capture, radically altering the course of the river which can cause massive property erosion downstream.

These matters concern us all. We are talking about the water we drink, the water used for irrigation and livestock. Flooding danger is not currently assessed and groundwater not regularly monitored.

What is the effect on the ecology of surrounding areas? What are the effects on wildlife habitats, on the hunting and tourist industries, on the potential tax base of the county?

Although the mined land reclamation board may issue a permit for a limited time and require reclamation within five years a gravel company can apply for two five-year periods of temporary cessation, delaying restoration for 15 or more years.

Furthermore, the steep-sided, unvegetated pond reclamation we see here violates Division of Wildlife guidelines and certainly does not restore indigenous riparian habitat or the aesthetics that warranted the designation of "scenic skyway."

An aggregate extraction plan would ensure that gravel would be utilized most conservatively, unitizing high-end gravel just where necessary, and allocating lower grades where appropriate. Should we limit gravel production to the needs of our county in order to preserve our other assets? Should we limit the number of pits operating simultaneously in any one area?

Is the state investigating other materials? Maine recently imported huge quantities of recycled tires to use in road construction. Canada has been doing it for years. Other areas are using plastics.

CFAR has done a lot of research and will continue. When prepared, we will try to work with the state, planning department and county commissioners to develop guidelines for gravel production that will give us an adequate supply, protect our natural resources and conserve them. It is our hope that the community will support and help us.