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possible to look at the chemistry and determine what caused the high pH. A comparison of the two <br />samples shows that the increased alkalinity was due to the greatly increased hydroxide ion, and sodium <br />also increased from 5.6 to 424 mg /liter. After investigating how the samples were taken, it is believed <br />that the samples with high pH were placed in bottles that had an alkaline preservative but the lab did <br />not know this, so they reported the pH of what they received. In any case, there was no high pH at any <br />location and at any sample date. Also, the pH is not reflective of the high sediment that was discharged <br />into Sneffels Creek from the mine discharge. <br />Another problem with the sampling also occurred. The results from the lab showed that the TSS sample <br />from the portal discharge increased from 151 mg /liter on the 2411 of October to 235 mg /liter the next <br />day, after the problem was corrected. The mine employee was asked how this could be possible since <br />many people observed that the water was clear the morning of the 25th when they came to work. The <br />mine employee confirmed that the water was clear the following day so the only explanation is that the <br />sample dates were incorrectly written on the bottles. Tables 2 and 3 have the numbers reversed for the <br />2 dates at the portal discharge, which we believe is accurate. <br />The important item to evaluate in the water samples is the sediment present, which is the Total <br />Suspended Solids (TSS) for each sample. The Table 3 below shows these results. <br />Table 3 <br />Sample Location <br />Date of Sample <br />TSS mg /I <br />Comments <br />Mine Portal Discharge <br />10/24/14 <br />235 <br />Higher than normal <br />Mine Portal Discharge <br />10/25/14 <br />151 <br />Higher than normal <br />Sneffels Creek above Mine <br />10/24/14 <br />23 <br />Normal <br />Sneffels Creek above Mine <br />10/25/14 <br />(Not Sampled) <br />Sneffels Creek at Camp Bird <br />10/24/14 <br />35 <br />Normal <br />Sneffels Creek at Camp Bird <br />10/25/14 <br />(Not Sampled) <br />Canyon Creek at Box Canyon <br />10/24/14 <br />92 <br />Normal <br />Canyon Creek at Box Canyon <br />10/25/14 <br />DNA <br />(Not Sampled) <br />Basically, from sometime during the early morning hours of October 201 to 8 PM on that same day, <br />sediment laden water of approximately 100 -250 milligrams per liter was discharged into Sneffels Creek. <br />The mine water flow from the portal was estimated as 400 gallons per minute. The flow from the raise <br />bore was approximately 15% of this flow, or 60 gallons per minute. Sneffels Creek was estimated at <br />Page 12 of 17 <br />