ENFORCE31449 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

i millsite. In addition to the large Cash mine dump, the who Do, White Cloud, and Wynona mine dumps are expected to provide several thousands of tons of readily accessible low grade ore for processing in this milling facility. Ir. order to assure adequate reserves for continuous milling operations during slack periods of underground production, most of the ore sorted from these mine dumps will be stockpiled for future processing. The planned gravity and flotation concentration mill will bel situated on the patented Oscar lode mining claim, which is owned by the Gold Hill Ventures Limited Partnership. The mill building will be constructed just to the northeast of the Oscar mine shaft, on gently sloping terrain with a 14 percent gradient (see Maps B2 and E21. It will be located northeast of the town of Gold Hi11, south of the main road from Boulder to Gold Hill, and at the western edge of Horsfal Flat. The altitude of the millsite is between 8,575 and 8,590 feet, with the Cash mine shaft at 8,200 feet, and the who Do mine shaft at 8,190 feet elevation. Access to the property can be gained by two private roads, which traverse the area south of County t•. Road No. 52 (see Exhibit C11. Several locations were evaluated for potential millsites prior to the selection of the proposed millsite and tailings pond area on Horsfal Flat. These locations included two other mountain sites, and four possible sites on the plains that were between 10 and 25 miles from the Cash and Who Do mines. This particular millsite was chosen after considering many important practical, economic, and environmental factors. These factors included the availability of ore, water, power, and labor; the costs of property, transportation, and con- struction; and the suitability of the topography, geology, and the tailings disposal area. Since one of the principal purposes of concentration is to reduce the expense of delivering a mine's product to a smelt- er, this concentrating mill will be situated as close as is practicable to the source of its ore supply. The proposed gravity and flotation concentration mill will be constructed approximately one-fourth of a mile from the Cash and who Do,~ mines (see Exhibit C1). Placing the mill near the mines that it will serve will reduce the costs of transportation, mini- mize irregularities in the receipt of ore, and eliminate the ~.•=``~~~ need for expensive storage facilities. ~^^~~~,l,jl ..,i 1 1 L... A .~m.,,. F t..... i .. G • v ...., n......L , ..A aor..c, .....a .. a~ ..a ra -_ ______ ___ _..___~___.._ ..._.._ .-__.. _..~_. ~ _hree Phase power for the milling facility will be obtained from tiie Public Service Company of Colorado, which will extend this power ano[her 640 feet along an existing line, and install 3 transformers near the southwest corner of the proposed mill building. By constructing the milling complex near the existing Cash mine, labor and supervision can be drawn from the same source, thereby reducing costs and enhancing the efficiency and security of both operations. While there are many obvious advantages to building the mill in the proposed location, there are also several apparent disadvantages to bifurcating the mining and milling opera- tions. Property acquisition costs for a mi115ite located on the plains wi 11 be higher than the costs for the entire milling facility will be on Horsfal Flat. Furthermore, a mill constructed on the plains will require all of the same neces- sities (such as water, power, and a suitable tailings disposal area) as one built in the mountains. Aside from ttie extra costs of transporting ore an additional 10 to 25 miles to a milling facility on the plains, the concentration of these ores near their source will greatly curtail the number of ore trucks usin4 Boulder County roads, and obviate their traveling through Boulder. Actual construction costs have been -7 •~