The Asphalt Paving Company of Golden, Colorado seeks to change the 43-year old zoning designation on 378 acres of land it owns adjacent to Eldorado Canyon State Park. The open pit and processing plant would span 166 acres. The zoning designation would change from Agricultural/Low Density Residential to Mining.

The mining proposal is similar to a less intensive proposal that was rejected by Jefferson County Commissioners in 1983. The Asphalt Paving Company proposal includes on site crushing and an annual production of up to 1.5 million tons of rock. The proposal put forth by Colorado Rock Company and rejected in 1983 would have produced 0.85 million tons with no crushing done on site. Forty percent of the Asphalt Paving Company proposal consists of old reports from the Colorado Rock Company mining proposal. The Colorado Rock Company proposal was rejected largely on the basis that it was NOT compatible with surrounding residential, parks and open space land uses

Since the rejection of the Colorado Rock Company proposal, Jefferson County has recognized the need for active citizen input on land use decisions and consistent land use policies. In 1987, Jefferson County initiated the Aggregate Resources Roundtable, a committee composed of aggregate producers and citizens, mediated by the County. This initiative resulted in several guidelines to be used in establishing new aggregate quarries, including close involvement with citizen groups in defining the scope of such projects. Unfortunately, Jefferson County never officially adopted these guidelines. In 1992, the North Mountains Community Plan (NMCP) was drafted. The North Mountain Community Plan further reinforced the idea that compatible land uses be grouped together, guiding towards agricultural, residential and recreational land uses in the northwest quadrant of Jefferson County. The NMCP does NOT address large, invasive industrial operations like a rock quarry.

The Asphalt Paving Company proposal involved no citizen input or community stakeholder process for the many years it has been under development. The proposal is inconsistent with existing Jefferson County land use plans like NMCP. The lack of community involvement means that only now are the full impacts of the project being discovered, including ground and surface water degradation, rockfall hazards, noise, visual scarring, air quality problems, reduced recreational value of surrounding parks and open space, and destruction of wildlife habitat. The need for full disclosure of all impacts cannot be overemphasized given the many private and public entities that will be affected by this large industrial facility. Eldorado Springs, Flagstaff subdivisions, Boulder, Colorado State Parks, Louisville, Lafayette, and the Coal Creek Canyon communities of Plainview and Crescent Park are all affected by this proposal.

Ultimately, the burden of proof is placed on local residents. Many of the impacts of the project are empirically measurable, yet it is difficult to quantify the social / psychological effects on people who live in or visit the area.
 
 

Groundwater

• The operator acknowledges that drawdown of groundwater will occur in the Crescent Park subdivision.
• The operator proposes a $50,000 "trust fund", supplemented with $7500 annually to address any water well problems.
• Only a few wells very close to the facility are eligible for the fund while the majority of homeowners in neighboring subdivisions will have the burden of proof.
• Crescent Park residents have documented cases of radioactive water well contamination resulting from groundwater disturbances.

• Sedimentation ponds will cause water loss by evaporation and will alter the historic water flows in South Draw.
• Louisville and Lafayette have water intakes downstream and have expressed concern about city water supplies.

• The mine and surrounding residential and public lands have many unstable slopes with rockfall hazards that could be aggravated by blasting.
• Asphalt Paving Company has not characterized the rockfall dangers on these surrounding properties or proposed any mitigation methods.
• The North Mountains Community Plan identifies the area as having unstable slopes.

• Community noise measurements have invalidated predicted noise levels in the Asphalt Paving Company rezoning application, showing noise levels 2 to 6 times higher than predicted by the applicant.
• Asphalt Paving Company has declined Jefferson County requests to perform on-site noise demonstrations.
• State industrial noise standards would apply, meaning 80dbA at the Eldorado Canyon State Park boundary (noise level of a household garbage disposal), which are many times the ambient noise level.
• "there is no feasible way, in staff’s opinion, to mitigate noise to ambient for Eldorado Canyon State Park" Jefferson County Staff Comments and Recommendations, February 1999.

• Asphalt Paving Company has not quantitatively defined the visual impact of its operation, offering only snapshots from selected sites in evaluating visual impact.
• Community funded viewshed map shows that visual impacts are far-reaching and potentially dramatic.

Air Quality

• No measurement of existing air quality has been performed by the applicant.
• No specifications are provided for emissions control equipment.
• Airborne radioactive dust is not addressed.

• Blasting effects on public and private property have not been sufficiently addressed.

• No enforcement mechanism for specified 40 vehicle trips per day.
• Plainview subdivision subject to service truck traffic at any hour.
• Ralston Quarry vehicle count exceeds 132 trips/day, excluding gravel trucks.

• The applicant has submitted road grade profiles showing grades up to 18%.
• County standards are 10%, 12% on south facing slopes.
• Access is not suitable for fire and emergency equipment access, according to Coal Creek Canyon Fire Protection District.

• Applicant has declined to provide water sources specified by the Coal Creek Canyon Fire Protection District.
• Human activity associated with construction and mining activities increases fire danger.

• Colorado Department of Wildlife sites South Draw as having one of the highest black bear and mountain lion populations in the State.
• Falcons, eagles, acceptors and other raptoers are currently seen in the area.
• Goshawk nesting sites may be present.
• No insect or butterfly inventories were taken by the applicant.
• Impacts on aquatic life in South Draw are not evaluated.

• Applicant conducted plant inventories in March when much of the site is covered in snow.

• Rail company contract is deferred until after Site Plan Review.
• Applicant declined to cover loaded rail cars as requested by the County.
• Rail haul implies product may be shipped far from the metro area.

• Community input was not solicited prior to finalizing the mining plan.
• Citizen "Compliance Review Committee" has no real power over the operation of the mine if citizen disputes develop with the operator.

• County estimates tax revenue based on $9 million dollar valuation of plant and equipment valuation.
• Asphalt Paving Company Ralston Dike plant is assessed at only $2.07 million.
• "Theoretical" 75 home subdivision generates roughly the same tax revenue ($229,000 by County estimates) in perpetuity, before the residents spend any money in the County.
• Mine property is unusable after the life of the mine, and tax revenue drops precipitously.

• A decision to deny rezoning does not constitute a "takings" from Asphalt Paving Company, since they bought A-1 zoned property.
• Boulder County and Colorado State Parks have a substantial investment in parks and open space adjacent to the quarry site.
• Boulder County alone has aquired 1800 acres of park lands and open space within 4 miles of the quarry since 1982.
• Walker Ranch purchase cost Boulder County $2,542,298.
• Walker Ranch visits up 85% from 1983 to 1998 (148,000 visitors).

• Applicant estimates creating 20 jobs.

• No quantified cost/benefit analysis has been performed by the County or the Applicant to justify rezoning
• Local use of aggergate from the mine is not guaranteed.
• Property value impact analysis used by the applicant does not adhere to standard practice, according to Jefferson County Assessor’s Office.

• Five of seven aggregate quarries in the Denver metro area are already in Jefferson County.
• Much of Jeffco production is "exported" to other counties
• Only 2 of 77 Colorado quarries evaluated do not produce aggregate suitable for the "SuperPave" product touted by the applicant.