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---- STATE ()F COlO rtn f)IJ NIf~I11l MIl I1•AM. ~'..~v ~.. ~~~.~ III III III III IIII III DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES D. Monte Pascoe, Executive Director M1NED LAND RECLAMArrION~ ~20~ 423 Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203 Tel. (303) 866-3567 David C. Shelton Director July 7, 1982 ~( Mr David Vietti ~ nc Naw~ e ~~e5 vQ C~ ~r2V l ~-'V ~ . T b ! Homestake Mining Comp an / ~~ q/~ ,~ `,,,~ t 7 ~ .it , ~ ~ t ~tti P ~ ~. /L 1 1726 Cole Boulevard 7 _ __ _ ___ __ _ _ Golden, Colorado 80401 RE: Preliminary adequacy revie w, amendment applicat ion Our File 1177-215, "Bulldog Mtn. Operation. Dear t•fr. Vietti: I have finally had an opportunity to take a serious look at your amendment application and give consideration to what such an amendment should include. The resolution of this problem should ultimately address three major areas of concern: prevention of a piping failure and/or other safety and erosion problems at the tailings embankment during its operational lifetime, clean-up of the water pollution problem, and the long-term reclamation (i.e. stability and pollution) problems. ~`~v The plans you have prepared caill probably be adequate, when coupled with some a~~ S~ monitoring provisions, to cover the immediate pollution problem. I have ,~ contacted the Colorado Health Department and I will provide you with a more ~a~ detailed analysis of our review in the next week or so. When we met on `C~,~' Mar 25, 1982 you indicated that your engineering staff had inspected the dam and was atisfied that the structural stability was not in jeopardy and that the potenti for a piping-type failure was minimal. I think it is safe to say we all rec ize that the serious question of dam safely must be reviewed. Since the State En 'neer's office has been involved in this matter earlier, we will follow their lea in this area. Obviously, the stability of this structure plays an important part the long-term reclamation considerations which the State Engineer may not cov in enough detail to satisfy the Mined Land Reclamation Board; we will meet with the regularly to keep abreast of their review. The proposal you have submitted\does not specifically address the long-term reclamation scenario. We feel it would be most appropriate for Homestake to take the first cut at addressing the long-term implications of, and solutions to, this problem. Our concerns would obviously center around the stability of the structure and the mitigation of the long-term pollutant source.