Laserfiche WebLink
• <br />C' <br />Discussions should be held with the WQCC regarding the <br />• status of the current discharge south of the old pond and <br />steps to permit the discharge should be undertaken promptly. <br />Discussions should also be initiated with the WQCC to <br />ascertain the status of the new pond. A "No Discharge" <br />permit should be obtained for the new pond if it is <br />designated a new source. <br />SITE DESCRIPTION <br />The site consists of two inactive flotation mill tailings <br />ponds located on the east side of the Animas River at the <br />site of Howardsville, 4.4 miles north of Silverton, <br />Colorado. The ponds are termed the "new" and "old" ponds for <br />purposes of identification. The old pond is the result of <br />earlier operations which ended before the early 1960's. The <br />new pond resulted from operations commenced in the 1960's <br />and continued intermittently until the recent past. <br />The current channel of the Animas River is <br />The new pond encompasses a surface area of approximately 16 <br />acres and stands 10 to 15 feet above the surrounding terrain <br />• at the south and west sides. The <br />to <br />Animas Forks. The north side stands six to eight feet above <br />the natural land surface. However, cross sections prepared <br />from the logs of current drilling and that completed as part <br />of the geotechnical investigation in 1980 indicate that the <br />base of the new pond is incised 3 to 5 feet below existing <br />grade along the west side and 8 to 10 feet along the north <br />and northeast sides. (Refer to Plate III). The depth of the <br />tailings ranges from 15 feet at the east side to 7 feet on <br />the west; however, the lower 5 feet of tailings on the east <br />side may consist of old tailings. <br />The or the new pond consists of a pair of <br />located in the northwest <br />corner of the new pond approximately 75 feet south of sample <br />site no 19. These chimnies are understood to discharge in <br />the alluvium west of the pond. When first observed on August <br />23, 1985, the decant pond water surface was 3 feet below the <br />top of the thimnies. <br />The old pond comprises an er.posed area of 2 acres; however, <br />previous drilling indicates that the old pond extends under <br />the southeast portion of the new pond for some as yet to be <br />• -3- <br /> <br />