ENFORCE37810

• Permit No: M1988112
• IBM Index Class Name: Enforcement
• Doc Date: 8/11/1992
• Doc Name: STATUS OF COMPLIANCE BMRI SAN LUIS PROJECT TAILINGS PONDS PN M-88-112
• From: MLRD
• To: PHILIP M HOCKER
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

.-
~ III IIIIIIIIIIIII III
999
sTaT~oF c~LO~o
MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION
Department of Natural Resources
1373 Sherman SI.. Room 275
Denver. CO 60203
303 866-3567
FA x: 303 832-8706
OF' c0C0
~~% ~9
Y
~ r8'16
Roy Romer,
Gavemor
August 11, 1992 Micnaei B. Lang,
Dirtsion Director
Mr. Philip M. Hocker
Mineral Policy Center
1325 Massachusetts Avenue, NW #550
Washington, D.C. 20005
Re: Status of Compliance; Battle Mountain Resources, ~nc.;
San Luis Project Tailings Ponds; Permit M-88-112
Dear Mr. Hocker;
Mr. Luke Danielson, a member of the Colorado Mined Land eclamation
Board, forwarded a copy of your letter to him of 31 Ju y 1992 for
my consideration. Luke has requested that I specifica ly address
your concerns during my August update to the Board. I thought it
might be informative to forward the following comment for your
edification. I intend to present the same informati n for the
Board's consideration.
You commented in the second paragraph of your Lett r to Mr.
Danielson that the MLRB is allowing BMRI to discharge ailings at
approximately 20 times the permited cyanide levels and that "the
state is taking a fairly relaxed approach to the iming and
seriousness of responding to this situation". On May 28 1992, the
MLRB issued an Order directing BMRI to comply with 12 abatement
requirements recommended by the Division (see attached).
Throughout the months of June and July BMRI has been t eating the
tailings ponds with Hydrogen Peroxide. As a result, th weak acid
dissociable (WAD) cyanide levels in the tailings ponds have been
reduced from levels of approximately 130 ppm to 5.8 pm in the
active lower tailings pond and less than 1 ppm in th inactive
upper tailings pond.
On July 22, 1992 the MLRB issued an additional Order t BMRI (see
attached) in which it set interim standards for levels of cyanide
in the tailings ponds. In reflection of the d monstrated
capability of the interim treatment process, these int rim levels
require BMRI to maintain the tailings pond actively receiving
tailings below 15 ppm WAD (4 times the permit standar ) and the
inactive pond below 10 ppm WAD (3 times the permit standard).
These interim WAD cyanide levels apply only ntil the
implementation of the revised permanent tailings treatme t process.
BMRI also received approval to implement an INCO S02/Ai tailings