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<br />~ <br /> <br />,...., <br />~'" <br /> <br />c..r..") <br /> <br />1. Two Road site (A) <br />2. McDonald Creek site (B) <br />3. Camp Gulch site (D) <br />4. East Salt Creek site (E) <br />5. Cheney Reservoir site (G) <br />6. Flatiron Mesa site (I) <br />7. 6 & 50 Reservoir site (C) <br />8. Lucas Mesa site (H) <br />9. Halls Basin site (F) <br /> <br />r:~') <br /> <br />128 <br />121 <br />120 <br />117 <br />116 <br />112 <br />109 <br />108 <br />105 <br /> <br />A major geotechnical concern that affects the suitability of an area <br />for tail ings disposal is the potential for future erosion. Areas with <br />severe erosion potential are not acceptable tail ings repository sites, and <br />these areas were automatically eliminated from further consideration in <br />this investigation. The most favorable repository locations have a low or <br />moderate erosion potential, such as that found on Two Road, McDonald <br />Creek, East Salt Creek, Cheney Reservoir, Lucas Mesa, and Flatiron Mesa <br />sites. Certain areas with a high erosion potential, such as 6 & 50 <br />Reservoir, Camp Gulch, and Halls Basin sites, may prove to be suitable for <br />tail ings disposal if the sites are carefully protected by properly <br />designed and constructed riprap structures. diversion structures. <br /> <br />'Transportation aspects of this project are a critical element t~at <br />will require careful consideration by the Candidate Site Review Committee. <br />The tailings pile in Grand Junction is literally surrounded by densely <br />populated areas, and any truck route from this tailings pile will <br />necessarily travel through these areas on heavily used roads. This is an <br />especially serious problem for any haul route travel ing north, east, or <br />west from Grand Junction. Fortunately, the Grand Junction tail ings pile <br />is conveniently located near the railroad, and rail transport of the <br />tailings may be feasible. The two tailings piles in Rifle (the old and <br />new piles) are situated on the edge of town. Truck haulage, except for a <br />route running north through Rifle, will not pose as serious a problem here <br />as in Grand Junction. The Rifle tail ings piles are readily accessible to <br />both the railroad and Interstate 70. If relocation of the Grand Junction <br />tailings pile to the Rifle area or the Rifle piles to the Grand Junction <br />area is considered by the Committee, rail transport can avoid the highway <br />congestion problems in the DeBeque Canyon area and in other potentially <br />hazardous and troubl esome areas along the haul route. <br /> <br />Rail transport to an unloading facility, followed by truck or <br />conveyor haulage to the disposal site is feasible for all but one of the <br />potential sites. Rail transport is not practical for moving the Rifle <br />tailings piles to the Flatiron Mesa site. This si,te is only a short <br />distance from the Rifle tailings piles, and truck or conveyor transport is <br />the only effective means to accomplish tailings relocation. <br /> <br />The major positive and negative aspects of each potential site are as <br />follows: <br /> <br />Two Road Site--good long-term (10,000 years) stabil ity; excell ent <br />geotechnical characteristics, but the possibil ity of recent structural <br />deformation needs further eval uation; riprap may need to be haul ed to <br />site; very remote; fairly long truck haul route, but road is not heavily <br />used; possibl e confl ict with 8ureau of Recl amation desal ini zation project; <br />moderate potenti al for confl icts with oil and gas development. <br /> <br />- 2 - <br />