2019-05-09_REVISION - M1977342 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

1.0 INTRODUCTION Climax Molybdenum Company - Henderson Operations (Henderson) is an active molybdenum mining and milling operation wholly owned and operated by the Climax Molybdenum Company (CMC), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold. Henderson began mining molybdenite ore and production of molybdenum disulfide concentrates in mid-1976. The Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board (Board) approved the Mining and Reclamation Permit (Permit) required under the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Act of 1976 (Act) in late 1977 (Permit No. M-1977-342). Subsequently, the Permit was formally amended in 1981 (AM- 01), 1996(AM-02-formally withdrawn), 1998(AM-03),2003 (AM-04),2006(AM-05—formally withdrawn with the submittal of AM-06), and 2007 (AM-06). Additionally, DRMS has approved 30 Technical Revisions JR) to the Henderson Permit throughout its operational history since 1977. Historically, there has been little change in Henderson's primary operations since production was initiated. The Mine is located nine miles west of Empire, Colorado, in Clear Creek County on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide. Molybdenite ore is extracted and crushed underground and transported through a ten mile tunnel and five mile overland conveyor to the Mill for processing. The Mill site is located in Grand County on the west side of the Continental Divide, in the upper Williams Fork River Valley. Exhibit A includes the legal description of the Henderson Operation and Exhibit B contains the index map showing the location of the Henderson Mine and Mill. This document is being formally submitted to the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) as Amendment 07 (AM-07)to Reclamation Permit No. M-1977-342 to alter the affected land boundary for Henderson as described in Section 2.0 below. Once approved,this Amendment will become part of the existing permit. 2.0 AMENDMENT DESCRIPTION Henderson is proposing to increase the affected land boundary as part of this Amendment to Permit No. 1977-342 to include the following areas: • URAD Wastewater Treatment Plant operations; • Footprint of the water conveyance pipeline between the Mine and URAD; • Land north of the Mine Site and to the east of the development rock stockpiles; • The subsidence area at the top of Red Mountain; and • Mine Site reconciliation. 2.1 Affected Land Increase URAD Wastewater Treatment Plant and Water Conveyance Pipeline In the late 1990's Henderson constructed a single, consolidated water treatment facility in the URAD Valley to more efficiently treat water from both the Henderson and URAD Mine sites. In a Memo to File dated May 31, 1996, the DRMS provided an opinion of the regulatory aspects for the proposed water treatment plant, which is now called the URAD Wastewater Treatment Plant. In summary, DRMS determined that because the URAD Wastewater Treatment Plant would be Henderson Operations AM-07 to Ree Permit M-1977-342 Climax Molybdenum April 2019 AF,"p*d.UCWRaaCompwy Page 1