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MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID#: M-1977-493 PAGE: 3 <br />INSPECTION DATE: 9-8-03 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: ACS <br />stands of timothy (phleum pratense). These areas are heavily used by elk. <br />Upland areas show a less dense growth that includes smooth brome (bromus <br />inermis) and Kentucky bluegrass (poa pratensis). <br />The biosolids staging and preparation area is located at the south end of the <br />Robinson Impoundment. A contractor retained by the sludge producers delivers <br />biosolids and wood waste to the site. The materials are mixed and composted <br />to create a Class-A pathogen free sludge. Other than the electricity costs <br />paid by Climax, the costs through the composting stage are primarily borne by <br />the sludge producers. <br />In addition to biosolids, which have been used on Robinson Tailing Pond, <br />Mayflower Pond, and on 1-Dam as will be described below, Climax is also using <br />a product called San Luis compost as a plant growth medium at various <br />locations at the mine. San Luis compost is hauled in from the agricultural <br />areas of the San Luis Valley and is a mixture of turkey manure, potatoes, and <br />wood chips. By using these types of topsoil alternatives, Climax has been <br />able to refrain from using the valuable soil in the topsoil stockpiles while <br />accomplishing substantial amounts of reclamation at the site. Other <br />alternatives to stockpiled topsoil that have been used for reclamation include <br />the organic soil that was found in the bottom of the Oxide Tailing Pond during <br />the Eagle Park Reservoir project, and the borrow pit soils that were used to <br />cap 3-Dam and 5-Dam. <br />No. 1-Dam was inspected. 1-Dam was graded, capped with waste rock, limed, <br />and seeded in the early 1990s. This reclamation project is described the <br />report of the DMG's 9-28-93 inspection. The report of the DMG's 9-15-94 <br />inspection describes vegetation on 1-Dam as "a few areas of fairly vigorous <br />growth surrounded by large areas of little or no establishment." Recently, <br />Climax was contacted by a sewage treatment authority in Eagle County about <br />taking their ATAD biosllids. ATAD is an acronym for autothermal <br />thermophilic aerobic digestion, which is an effective method for producing <br />Class-A pasteurized sludge. This material was applied to the south end of <br />the face of 1-Dam at a rate of 10 to 15 tons per acre, and seeded. This <br />treatment has resulted in a dense, healthy stand of grass that contrasts <br />markedly with the areas of the dam face that were seeded in the early <br />1990s. <br />Robinson Lake was inspected. The Lake has been dewatered and Climax has <br />determined that there is approximately 1.2 million cubic yards of lakebed <br />sediments with a paste pH of about 8.5. Climax is currently evaluating <br />alternatives for Robinson Lake, as to whether it can be reclaimed in the <br />relative near term to a fresh water reservoir and what the lake's role <br />would be during active mining and milling. Climax is also evaluating the <br />potential for beneficial uses of the sediments as a buffing agent in <br />reclamation. <br />At the time of this inspection, a work crew had constructed a coffer dam <br />and was pumping water and sludge out from the area of the upstream toe of <br />the Robinson Lake Dam in an effort to expose the pipeline that is routed <br />