Laserfiche WebLink
Comment/Objection Narrative* <br /> To:Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining&Safety <br /> Re: Leadville Mill M1990057 <br /> Union Milling Company LLC <br /> Cc: <br /> Sarah Mudge <br /> Lake County Board of Commissioners <br /> Kayla Marcella <br /> Lake County Board of Commissioners <br /> Jeff Fiedler <br /> Lake County Board of Commissioners <br /> David Nickum <br /> Executive Director <br /> Colorado Trout Unlimited <br /> Rick Helmick <br /> Vice President <br /> Collegiate Peaks Chapter <br /> Trout Unlimited <br /> I am sending this letter concerning the operation application for the Leadville Mill, Leadville Colorado,by Union <br /> Milling Company LLC of Littleton Colorado. <br /> This mill is located within California Gulch,an area known for gold and silver extraction and for a notorious <br /> Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Site-which provided a noxious mix of metals and acid pollution <br /> flowing into the Arkansas River.After millions of dollars and years of remediation to stabilize the source <br /> pollutants,the Arkansas River responded by creating the longest continuous Gold Medal fishery in Colorado. <br /> We don't want to go back to the way things were. <br /> The application includes the use of vat leaching,incorporating sodium cyanide,an extremely toxic material. In <br /> addition to the vat leaching,the applicants wish to expand the permit area,expand the tailings facility and <br /> increase operating capacity from 200 tons/day to 400 tons/day.This process,as stated by the applicant,would <br /> require 1600 Ibs of sodium cyanide per day or 24 tons of sodium cyanide per month even with recycling the <br /> sodium cyanide in the system.The applicant mentions neutralizing the cyanide as part of the process but it is <br /> unclear in the application which chemicals stored on site would be used for neutralization and whether an <br /> sufficient amounts would be on site in case of an emergency.The output of vat leaching is ounces of gold and <br /> tons of cyanide contaminated tailings stored in lined open tailings ponds. <br /> The applicants state this is a closed system—that is, nothing escapes from the process loop.Any engineered <br /> process requires the designer to make assumptions about performance.These assumptions,albeit generally <br /> conservative and based on engineering principle,are in fact assumptions:assumed tailings-pond liner <br /> performance over time,assumed tailings embankment performance,assumed maximum rainfall entering the <br /> system,assumed diversion is sufficient size to handle runoff and not flood the tailings pond,assumed high <br /> pressure pumps and piping performance,assumed proper operation and maintenance.There is no such thing <br /> as a perfectly closed loop. It is true we all make assumptions to go forward with our day-to-day lives,but can we <br /> afford a breach in the cyanide vat leaching operations to spill into the Arkansas River?Can we risk the impact <br /> on the health and safety of the mill's neighbors,fish kill,aquatic invertebrates diversity damaged,flora and <br /> fauna impacts and fishing tourism economic impact.We don't want to go back to the way things were. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> Jerry Wright <br /> Geologist <br /> 12587 CR261 K <br /> Mnfhrnn(.0 R171R <br />