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<br />UUil:HS <br /> <br />Climax Mine and MiIIlWDID 360841) - The Climax Mine and Mill, owned and operated by <br />the Climax MOlybdenum Company, is located at the headwaters of Tenmile Creek in the <br />upper Blue River basin above Dillon Reservoir. The mine was opened in about 1918 and <br />historically has been the world's largest producer of molybdenum. Mining production has <br />been minimal since about 1982 because of reduced demand and the productions <br />capabilities at the Henderson Mine (see following discussion). Because of its substantial <br />ore reserves, it is anticipated that primary molybdenum production will resume at Climax. <br /> <br />The milling operations at the Climax Mine are based on flotation processes to <br />recover the mOlybdenum concentrate. The waste rock, crushed to a consistency of fine <br />sand, is transported as a tailing slurry for deposition in large tailing ponds. Water is used <br />and re-used in the milling process throu9h an elaborate system of pumping stations, <br />pipelines, reservoirs, tanks, and tailing ponds. .Consumptive use. of water is primarily <br />associated with evaporation from the surfaces of the tailing ponds and water reservoirs, <br />together with the consumption of water 'entrapped. within the deposited tailing sands. <br />From data supplied by Climax and its consultants, the historic consumptive uses of water <br />at the Climax Mine and Mill are estimated to be about 5,600 acre-feet annually during peak <br />production years, although it historically has been in excess of 7,300 acre-feet. For the <br />CROSS study period, 1975 through 1991, the averaae annual consumptive use has been <br />about 3,300 acre.feet, <br /> <br />Most of the replacement (make-up) water used at Climax is diverted from the <br />headwaters of Tenmile Creek and its tributaries on Climax property. Deoletions to Tenmile <br />Creek have averaged about 5,300 acre-feet during peak production years. Additional <br />replacement water for the milling process is diverted from the upper reaches of the East <br />Fork Eagle River and the East Fork Arkansas River. Water imported from the Eagle River <br />basin (Water District 37) and from the Arkansas River basin (Division 2) have averaged <br />about 250 and 300 acre-feet per year, respectively. The diversions from the Arkansas <br />River basin represent a trans basin diversion into the Colorado River basin. Very little of the <br />water imported from the Arkansas River is consumed in the milling process. <br /> <br />Water in excess of the industrial requirements, including replacement, is intercepted <br />and diverted around the tailing ponds in a network of interceptor canals, for eventual <br />discharge into Tenmile Creek and the East Fork Eagle River downstream of the industrial <br />facilities. To the extent that process water within the industrial water system (non- <br />interceptable) is unneeded, the excess water is treated and discharged into Tenmile Creek. <br />This discharge occurs on a year-round basis, although most of the water is discharged <br />during the spring snowmelt runoff period, <br /> <br />Climax owns and utilizes over 30 individual water right priorities for the operations <br />at Climax. All of the Tenmile Creek water rights are junior to the Shoshone Power Plant <br />right for 1,250 cfs, such that the depletions to the flow of Tenmile Creek and the Eagle <br />River are generally limited to the spring snowmelt runoff period, The maior industrial direct <br />flow rights used at Climax include the following: <br /> <br />1-2 <br />