2015-04-17_REPORT - M1977004 (2)

Home Browse Search

Pitch Reclamation Project Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board — 2014 Annual Reclamation Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ■ Homestake Mining Company of California (Homestake) operated the Pitch Uranium mine in Saguache County, Colorado from 1979 until 1984. The mine extracted uranium ore and trucked it to their mill in ' Grants, New Mexico. In 1984, operation was suspended and the mine was placed in a care and maintenance status. Incremental reclamation and revegetation of mine site disturbances were performed throughout the period of 1985 to 1993. In 1993, Homestake initiated the process of permanently closing the mine. ' Since 1993, closure and reclamation activities have included pit wall grade -down and partial backfilling of the North Pit to reduce pit wall movement, the contouring and revegetation of the approximately 230 ' acres of disturbed area, construction of a plug in the Pinnacle adit to reduce seepage and improve water quality, monitoring of slope stability in the North and South pits; monitoring of the phreatic surface in the Indian and Tie Camp waste rock dumps, construction of surface water controls, and the dismantling and ' removal of the Radium Treatment Plant (RTP) as well as associated foundation materials and soils that were placed in the Tie Camp Creek Disposal Cell. I During 2014, Homestake maintained the remaining mine facilities and fulfilled permit and license related compliance programs which included the following activi I ties: i ' • Monitored water quality discharged at the point of compliance (POC), SW -33, and submitted monthly discharge monitoring reports to the Water Quality Control Division (WQCD) of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment ( CDPHE) per the requirements of the Colorado Discharge Permit System (CDPS) permit #CO- 0022756 effective January 1, 2010; • Received a draft CDPS renewal package from the WQCD on January 17, 2014 and provided comments on March 20, 2014. 1 • Performed inspection and reporting per the terms and condition of the Radioactive Materials License (RML) issued by the CDPHE — Hazardous Materials & Waste Management Division (Permit #150 -01, Amendment 15). 1 • Continued improvements in the drainage, stabilization, and reclamation in the constructed wetlands area (near location of the former Radium Treatment Plant and the drainages upstream from the sediment control pond); j • Visually monitored erosion and drainage repairs on the northwest side of the Indian rock dump above the clay and low -grade ore stockpiles; i • Monitored the continued effectiveness of the 2011 grading of tension cracks on the east wall of the South Pit and in the slump area of the South' Pit to eliminate pooling of water; I • Visually monitored of the continued effectiveness of grading on the top three benches and slope face of the Tie Camp rock dump to reduce sedimentation on the benches and movement of storm water and snow melt off the benches and reduce erosion on the dump slope; I • Monitored the 2010 and 2011 repair work on the Tie Camp Disposal Cell for erosion and drainage ' control; I Visual monitored the drainage channel that was constructed in 2013 between the 10,800 and 10,600 benches on the east wall of the North Pit; 1 • From November 2013 through October 2014 the Pitch rain gauge recorded 784 mm or 34.9 inches of precipitation. Pitch 2014 Reclamation Report 16Apnl2015 —Cw. Docx ` ES -1 1