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<br />' January 12, 1995 <br />Bulldog Mine <br />Page 4 <br />In response to a request from the WQD, Homestake commissioned <br />' Golder Associates to conduct a spring and seep survey in the Windy <br />Gulch drainage in July 1994. Results of this survey are presented <br />in Attachment G. No new seeps or springs were observed in the <br />drainage. <br />Windy Gulch was not flowing in the vicinity of the Bulldog <br />Mine. Small flows occurred along a 1400 foot reach from elevation <br />' 9040 to 8870 well downstream of the mine area. The flow then went <br />underground. The remaining stretch of Windy Gulch was dry and has <br />a very poorly defined channel. There is no evidence that flow <br />' occurs in this reach except perhaps during storm events or snow <br />melt. This confirmed that any significant groundwater discharge <br />from the Bulldog Mine would generally be into the Willow Creek <br />drainage above Creede. <br />' A water quality sample was collected from this flowing stretch <br />on Windy Gulch and is reported in the October 21, 1994 Golder seep <br />' and spring report (Attachment G). Results indicated that the <br />parameters analyzed were generally within primary drinking water <br />standards. <br />' Homestake has also collected water samples in Willow Creek <br />above and below Windy Gulch to evaluate possible impacts of <br />groundwater seepage on stream water quality. Results of this <br /> sampling were also presented in the March 2 NPDES permit <br />' inactivation request. These results i ndicated there was no <br /> detectable contribution of metals from groundwater or surface <br /> waters in the windy Gulch area to Willow Creek. <br />' <br /> Collectively, these results indicate the Bulldog Mine has had <br /> no demonstrable adverse effect on the bene ficial uses of surface or <br />groundwater in the area. <br />' Lower Tailings Impoundment <br />At the December 21, 1994 meeting, DMG also requested a brief <br />summary of the past response actions taken at the lower tailings <br />impoundment. <br />The lower tailings dam was first used on a continuous basis in <br />' the later part of 1974. Seeps estimated to be 10-15 gpm were <br />observed downstream from the dam in 1978. When seeps were <br />discovered Homestake installed a surface collection and pumpback <br />' system. <br />1 <br /> <br />