Irwin Thomas Gravel Mine Operation

Thank you for your inquiry. A virtual neighborhood meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 9, beginning at 6 pm.

Please go to the following link to view the meeting, which will provide copies of a site design for the Costco and Gravel Mine: https://bit.ly/LongmontYoutubeLive. 

The City does not have a copy of this plan yet because a formal application has not been submitted to the City yet.

Thank you for reaching out regarding the Irwin Thomas gravel mine. At this time they will be submitting an application to revise their PUD Plan, which will change the location of the mining operations and move them further east and further away from the homes in Harvest Junction Village. There will be a neighborhood meeting on December 9 and you are welcome to watch and participate. The meeting will be virtual and broadcasted on the City's YouTube channel.

Thank you for reaching out.  While the mining operator had planned on starting in 2020, it appears unlikely this will occur.  The mining operator is still waiting for approval of their permit from the State. Once they get the permit, they are required by the City to construct a berm around the perimeter of the mining area to serve as a buffer between the mining operations and the adjacent residential properties.  As far as the land use, the zoning permits this use and there is no termination date, per se. However, once the mining operator obtains a mining permit from the state, there will likely be benchmarks and deadlines.

Hello Ann, thank you for reaching out regarding the Irwin Thomas Gravel Mine. It is our understanding that the mining company will be drilling for the gravel. If you would like more detailed information about Aggregate Industries’ practices for mining at this site, please contact them through the email link provided on the City’s web page regarding this mine: https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/departments/departments-n-z/planning-and-development-services/active-development-log-and-map/irwin-thomas-gravel-mine. Thank you!

Hi Erica, thank you for contacting us. The gravel mine operator is currently going through the permitting process through the State of Colorado and the City does not have any information at this time about when they will begin mining.  

The gravel mine operator is required to construct a 6-foot tall landscaped berm along the western and southern sides of the property before they can commence mining operations; and the pods will be mined from west to east. You may want to contact the mining operator (us-c-irwinthomasinfo@lafargeholcim.com) about their estimated timeline to start work. Thank you!

Hi Laura, thank you for reaching out. The mining area closest to the residential area of Harvest Junction will be the first to be mined. The City does not have the exact time frame for when that will begin. The mining company is currently having their permit request under review from the State of Colorado. Before they are permitted to mine, they must build a 6-foot tall berm along the western edge of their property to buffer the mining activity from the Harvest Junction neighborhood. After mining is completed, whenever that is, they will leave ponds. The property is owned by Golden Farm Ltd. The City is unable to answer the remainder of your very specific questions because a permit has not been issued by the State yet. We do not have a time frame for when that will happen or when they will begin.  

The city does not have the current start date of gravel mine operations. The applicant is still working through the permitting process with the state. 

Dear Mr. Beshear, Thank you for taking the time reach out. At this time, there is still an active land entitlement for a gravel mine at this location. The applicant, Aggregate Industries, is working toward obtaining their state permits.

The city does not have information regarding the amount of silica dust.  Please reach out to the contact email for Aggregate as they have the technical expertise to provide answers to these questions. The city does have conditions of approval for the gravel mine operation which are located on sheet 3 of the approved plan. Specifically, condition #11 requires the operator to cease loading and hauling operations when sustained wind speeds reach 30 MPH or higher. Condition #13 requires the operator to obtain permits from Public Works that relate to construction activity and condtion #14 requires the operator to comply with state fugitive dust standards. The site will be monitored and inspected by both city Public Works inspectors as well as state mining inspectors.  Alternatively, residents can contact the city’s Code Enforcement division at (303) 651-8695 to report a suspected violation of the standards.

It is the city’s understanding that Aggregate Industries plans to start the mining in 2020.  At this time the city does not have a specific schedule from Aggregate.  We would recommend you reach out to the email address for Aggregate directly at us-c-irwinthomasinfo@lafargeholcim.com and ask to be added to their email list for more specific information about their project and scheduling.