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. ~ • (Page 2) • MINE ID ~ OR PROSPECTING ID }` N-94-117 INSPECTION DATE 10-11-95 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS ACS OBSERVATIONS This was a joint inspection with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Dan Ffeley and Bob Griffith, both with the Water Quality Control Division were in attendance. Also present for the inspection was Bob Mason, a resident of Gold Hill, and representing the Committee on Mining and Environment within Gold Hill town Meeting, Inc. In accordance with the Gold Hill Mill Stormwater Discharge Permit issued by the Water Quality Control Division, the operator was to have implemented and been in compliance with their Storm Water Management Plan (SWMP) by September 7, 1993. The Gold Hill Mill Stormwater Discharge Permit further requires that the SWMP be appropriately signed and retained on site. Ric F'anyo, representing COM, Inc. during this inspection, did not know where the SWMP may be filed at the site. The Division requests that a copy of the SWMP be provided when it becomes available so that it can be verified that no conflicts between the requirements of the SWMP and t:he requirements of the Reclamation Permit exist. Clean-out, deepening, and widening of the diversion ditches above the tailing pond has been completed. The dirt removed and placed below the ditches should be compacted and smoothed into a neat berm. Turf that was damaged by equipment during the ditch cleaning operation ehoul.d be smoothed, and the disturbed area seeded in accordance with the approved reclamation plan.. Seeding should be completed by the end of November. The e~ettling basin located between and below the tailing pond and mill building needs to be cleaned out this year. The silt removed from the basin could be placed in the small borrow pit x•ecently excavated above the tailing pond. Also, the operator should key hay bales into the ground in the ditch immediately below the outlet of the settling basin. Required repairs to the Tailing pond liner had not commenced at the time of this inspection. The game fence had been removed from the dam treat preparatory to making the repairs. Also, one Location where a liner tear extended below the level of the tailing had been over- excavated to expose the entire rip for the repair crew. All liner repairs are to be completed, liner perimeters properly anchored, and the game fence securely reset, by November 1, 1995. The trailer that was parked below the mill building has been removed. In order to facilitate the trailer removal, a portion of the ore yard etormwater berm had been leveled. This berm needei to be immediately reestablished to its former dimensions. Obsei•vationa related to the Hazel-A Ad it A portal closure had been installed that consisted of a 36" CMP laid on the sill at the portzil. The outby end of the CMP had a hinged boiler-plate door welded to it. in order to facilitate the Division's inspection of critical water management facilities within the Haze].-A, the Division will have to be provided a key to this door. The annulus of the CMP and the adit perimeter had been backfilled to completely close off the ad it when the door is locked. The Division will require a 15 foot minimum horizontal extent for the backfill. The required coffer dam and pump-back system had been installed outby of the Hazel-A bulkhead, and was functional at the time of this inspection. The flexible pump-back line had initially been configured such that the outlet was below the water behind the bulkhead. Ae a reeiult, when the pump-back pump was shut off, bulkheaded water syphoned back through the pump and out the Hazel-A adit. It is not known how much water was discharged during this misheip, or how far down Caeh Gulch the discharged water would have gone before soaking into the ground. In order to avoid any future similar incidents, the Division will require that the pump-back outlet line be securely fixed to the back or rib of the adit such that the outlet end is at or above the elevation of the top of the bulkhead. A self triggering mechanism, such as afloat, will have to be installed on the pump-back pump such that the pump will kick-on prior to over-topping of the coffer dam. The coffer dam and pump-back system will be subject to on-going Division inspections to assure that the system ie capable of preventing any discharge of process water from the Hazel-A bulkhead. The operator reported that the Hazel-A Adit behind the bulkhead is making water, and estimated that the water level behind the bulkhead rises 2.5 to 3.5 feet in a weeks time.