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March 10, 2000 <br />Mr Doug George <br />Law Office of Doug George <br />1115 Main Street <br />Alamosa CO 81101 <br />Re: Reponse to March 3, 2000 Letter <br />Deaz Mr. George: <br />The Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) received and reviewed your March 3, 2000 letter <br />to Mr. Michael Long, DMG Director relating to your version of an "Indication of Rito Seco <br />Upstream Contamination". <br />As you stared, it is your understanding that testing from "those seeps" identified tte discharge of <br />several pollutants. The Division assumes that your statement about "those seeps" is in reference <br />to the seeps along the north bank of the Rito Secojust south of the West pit that were discovered <br />in October, 1998. It is a fact that "those seeps" were discharging certain pollutants into the Rito <br />Seco at elevated levels including sulphate, manganese and TDS. However, as soon as the seeps <br />were discovered, Battle Mountain Resources, Inc. (BMRI) immediately responded to the <br />situation by constructing facilities to capture the flow and pump it back to the Wet t pit (where it <br />initially came from). in addition, BMRI initiated other remediation procedures (technical revision <br />26) to completely stop the flow of the seeps (which occurred on February 8, 2000 and was <br />verified by the DMG on February 11, 2000). <br />You state in your letter that Shalom ranch operates an irrigation well downgradien[ of the mine <br />site [hat, apparently, has experienced a 50% loss of water production as a result of lazge white <br />"boils" clogging 90% of the perforated pipe. You state that "Mr. Cooper is reasonably concerned <br />that this unusual and heavy corrosion has resulted from a contaminant originating upstream of <br />the well location and possibly from Battle Mountain Gold property." <br />As we discussed on March 8, 2000, the DMG would initiate an investigation of this situation if <br />there was reason to believe that the problem Mr. Cooper is experiencing was caused by the <br />BMRI mine site. Since the DMG does not possess any information about the well, Mr. Long <br />instructed me to initiate an information gathering investigation of the well and the various area <br />aquifers to determine how much detailed information is available. 1 will meet with Mr. Cooper <br />on March 16, 2000 (weather permitting) to discuss the problem and to find out where the well is <br />located. I would like copies of all data (not in the possession of the DMG) relating to the well, <br />