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french drain and gravel bed remain at the mouth of the air shaft. <br />The air shaf t is the main area of concern. The air shaf t was <br />refitted with a wooden grate in 7/92 for public safety concerns <br />following an OSM oversight inspection. <br />Phase II, the sodium hydroxide drip system was installed in <br />198 due to the insufficiency of the french drain to contain the <br />water. The NaOH system was abandoned in due to the high <br />maintenace required to operate the system and replaced with a more <br />passive system based on water pressure and piezometric level. <br />Phase III's passive system necessitated the construction of <br />the long pond, adding a third pond to the treatment system. The <br />height of the mine inflow is measured by a hose that runs from the <br />Portal #1 seal (behind the wooden doors) and is held up to <br />ascertain piezometric level. It is estimated that the mine is still <br />continuing to rise in water level behind the concrete seal. Water <br />is being Bumped from the air shaft beneath the leaky seal and <br />pumped across the creek via a black rubberized hose. From there the <br />iron-rich water is pumped out the spigots (4 in all) down the half <br />rubber culvert to the long pond. The treatment system allows the <br />iron to precipitate out once exposed to the air. The iron-rich <br />water is pH neutral, ranging from 6.2 to 8.4, with a maximum <br />allowable discharge at the NPDES point 001 of 3.2 ppm of iron. The <br />NPDES outfall is found below the ridge, south and east of T2. <br />Treatment ponds I and 2 (T1 and T2) are the final settling ponds <br />before the water is discharged down slope via another black rubber <br />hose, directly into the creek. The iron seems to settle out within <br />2 4 hours, water moving through the system from inflow to outflow <br />at a rate of 30-90 gpm. within that time. Jim Stover, the mine <br />engineer has constructed a series of baffles between the long pond <br />and the two ponds; T1 and T2. Baffles also are between T1 and T2 <br />and are shaped in an inverted "U", allowing water pressure to <br />induce flow rate and quantity. <br />Check for: 1. Treatment system hose integrity, ensure no leaks. <br />2. Baffle integrity and consistent flow between ponds. <br />This can be detected via the open-ended pipes on the <br />end of the long pond and T1. Listen for the water <br />rushing through. Occasionally these baf f les clog <br />up and need cleaning. <br />3. Half-culvert Bedding up or overflowing with iron <br />precipitate. <br />4. Overflow at air shaft, usually seen in vegetation <br />covered with orange iron precipitate indicating that <br />water has breached the treatment system. If this <br />occurs, as it did on 8/10/92 inspection, then the <br />gravel covering the french drain will also be orange <br />with iron precipitate. <br />5. Currently, the OMLR and operator, Jim Stover are in <br />adequacy review to redesign the embankment on the <br />east side of the long pond. Note seeps here, two are <br />consistent. <br />