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7. Conclusions <br />Based on all the information gathered, this author does not believe that any environmental damage was <br />done to Sneffels Creek or Canyon Creek or any water downstream. The event was short (approx.18 <br />hours) and due to very prompt action on the part of the mine officials, the situation was corrected as <br />fast as humanly possible. As described above, the effects of the discharge were basically the same as <br />an intense summer thundershower, which occur frequently over the course of a year from May through <br />October. Since the crushed andesite host rock at the bottom of the raise bore had no vein material at <br />all, this material is completely inert and the water was only problematic from the standpoint of <br />suspended clay. The drainage basin of Sneffels Creek has many old mine dumps and portals which do <br />have vein material and contribute to dissolved ions of concern. This is particularly evident from recent <br />samples taken from Governor Basin at the top of the Sneffels Creek watershed. <br />However, the mine officials should have anticipated earlier that water could potentially come out of the <br />raise bore in much greater quantities than what was observed in the pilot hole. The low volume of water <br />in the pilot hole lulled everyone into a false sense that there would be no discharge from the raise bore. <br />Also, the employees that were working this area during the early morning hours did not report that there <br />was significant water coming out and that it was picking up sediment. Training of underground <br />employees to keep a watchful eye on the discharge water has been undertaken. <br />The author of this report, Greg Lewicki, recommends that all mine employees, surface and <br />underground, have some basic instruction about what is environmentally acceptable or not with respect <br />to mine water, water discharge, and the operation of the ditches and ponds on the surface. The mine <br />managers have committed to this additional training. <br />Page 15 of 17 <br />