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