DRMS Comment Objection Intake - DEV 3/27/2024 (5)

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Email Address * Enter a valid email address in this field to receive a confirmation e-mail. fs10k@mac.com Your Phone Number* Used only to follow up. 7194865860 Extension Alternate Phone Number Used only to follow up. Alternate Phone Extension Connection to Operation Select all that apply Land Owner of affected land Structure Owner within 200' of affected land Mineral Owner Fv Nearby Resident Adjacent Land Owner Concerned Citizen Government Agency Other DESCRIPTION OF COMMENT OR OBJECTION You are providing a comment or objection to the public record of a permitting action currently under review by the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. This form is not intended for reporting of possible violations or illegal activity. Please be as specific as possible. Comment/Objection Narrative * To whom it may concern: Please accept this communication expressing my objections to the CJK Milling Company Application. The impact on the upper Arkansas River basin and particularly the Leadville area is significant. Impacts include potential cyanide, selenium and lead as well as other chemical contamination of surface and groundwater. The mill waste pile will be a potential source of water contamination risks forever, yet the mill plan does not address perpetual monitoring and management of the waste pile. High water consumption based on dubious efficiency claims will likely reduce water availability in the Leadville area for residential and other uses. These water issues alone are so significant the mill should not be permitted to operate. I object to this application on numerous grounds: use of cyanide in processing tailings; disturbance of and transport of tailings from the East Side of Leadville to the Mill site; no method to guarantee zero leakage of cyanide & other chemicals from proposed dry stack method of storage of processed materials; the threat of leakage into water table of cyanide/other chemicals into groundwater, affecting wells, the fishing/rafting industry, irrigation water; the potential of environmental catastrophe from leakage of toxic substances (e.g. via air, water) resulting in extreme adverse effects to County residents, visitors and the tourist economies of Lake County and neighboring counties; the destruction of wildlife habitats and death of animals and fish in Lake County and beyond along the length of the Arkansas River; the well documented health risks associated with airborne toxic particulates ("fugitive dust"). Over the past several decades, countless hours of work and millions of dollars have been spent on repairing the devastating impacts of historic mining in Lake County on the Upper Arkansas River and its tributaries, particularly in the California Gulch watershed where the Leadville Mill and much of the targeted waste is located. As a result, the Upper Arkansas is now the longest continuous stretch of Gold Medal water in the nation. This project could easily reverse all of those hard won restorations. I would ask DRMS to consider if the risks of this project to the Leadville community and the surrounding environment are worth the benefits. Of particular note, I would ask DRMS to carefully consider the following: Does the CJK proposal adequately identify groundwater depth throughout the site or the preferential flow pathways/rates? In the instance of a spill, it would be necessary to have groundwater defined. Groundwater mapping would also play into a remediation plan in the instance of a spill. Those pathways must be identified and mitigated during an emergency to reduce impacts on drinking water supplies including wells in the area.