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R • (Page 2) MINE l:D # OR PROSPECTING ID # M-94-117 INSPECTION DATE 4Q- -97 INSPECTOR'S INITZALS GC _( ~v This ~uas a monitoring inspection to determine the status of the tailings pond spray evaporation system, the land application system and the Hazel-A pump back system. Mr. Dan Zdikowski was the on-site operator's representative. This is a follow-up to the Division's notification in a letter dated March 4, 1997 that the approved spray evaporation and land application water management systems needed to be reinstalled no later than April 1, 1997. The approved designs for these systems are included in the Gold Hill Mill permit files. The tailings pond system design is outlined in a letter to the Division from Richard Fox dated March 17, 1996 regarding `Water Spray Evaporation Calculations and Design, Gold Hill Mill.' The Land Application system is outlined in an April 11, 1996 letter from Mr. Fox. regarding `Water Spray Land Application System, Gold Hill Mill.' About three to four feet of freeboard was observed in the tailings pond on the day of the inspection. The water level was near the bottom of hay bales located in the northern end of the pond. There was no runoff entering the pond from uphill. Tailings Pond Spray Evaporation System The process water tanks in the northern corner of the mill building were nearly empty at the time of the inspection. A 2" pvc line runs from the tanks, through the northern corner o£ the mill building, beneath the access road along that side of the mill, and continues eastwzird to a `Y' junction where it splits off into the land application system in one direction and the tailings pond in the other direction. The 2" line is black, 80 psi pvc. This line runs to the approximate center of the northwestern edge of the tailings pond where it connects to a white, 3/4" Crestline pvc line rated at 200 psi. This 3/4" line enters a `T' fatting along the black liner near the edge of the pond. There, it splits at right angle:; with a separate line running toward each of the narrow ends of the pond. Each leg of this :Line runs 100' and along each leg are situated 10 Lawn Genie pop-up sprinkler heads. Each ::prinkler head will spray in a half circle. The heads are spaced 10' apart along each line. In all, there are 20 sprinkler heads spaced uniformly along the northwestern side of the tailings pond. There are no such lines along either of the narrow ends of the pond or along the southeastern side. In addition, a recirculating pump has not been added to this system so there is no way to continuously recirculate water from the pond through this system. Also, the line beneath the access road near the northern corner of the mill building is plugged. Mr. Zdikowski believes this is due to water, having collected in the low point of then buried line, being frozen. Therefore, at the present, the system is not functional. Water can not run from the mill to the pond and the water in the pond can not recirculate through this evaporative system. See possible Violation PV-1 on page 4 of this report. The operator has set a 2.5" spray nozzle, which looks like a fire hose nozzle, on a 4' high steel frame at the center point of the narrow, southwestern end of the tailings pond. There is a 10 hp centrifugal pump sitting near this nozzle with an intake line running into the edge of the pond. The inlet of the line did not appear to be deeply set in the water and the pump was not yet hooked up to the spray nozzle. Therefore this system was non-functional. In my review of the permit file, this does not appear to be a part of the approved spray evaporative system. Some remnants of the old, non-functional pvc spray system were still present in the southeastern side of the pond. LAND APPLICATION SYSTEM The land application system had not yet been hooked up at the time of the inspection. A few lengths of 2" schedule 40 pvc pipe had been spread out in the land application area, however, they Y:ad not been fastened together or hooked to the line running from the mill. There were 12 Rain Bird sprinkler heads in the mill building which, Mr. Zdikowski explained, were to be used~in the land application system. See Possible Violation PV-1 on page 4 of this report. The operator is reminded that when land application is begun, water sampling and analyses will tie required once per week during the time the system is in operation.