GENERAL42300 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

_s' `w • • DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY Depanmern of Natural Resources GTOT'r nr' COLORADO III IIIIIIIIIIIII III ~,~, 1313 Sherman 51., Room 215 Denver, Colorado 80203 Phone (3031 866-3567 FA\:13031 R32-8106 II~~~ DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DATE: December 11, 1997 Roy Romer eovernnr ' lames 5. Lochheul TO: Gary Curtiss Executive DneUOr Michael s. Enna; FROM: Allen Sorenson ~ Divivnn Dueclor RE: Conceptual Reclamation Plan for the Gold Hill Mill, Colina Oro Molino, Inc., Permit No. M-9A-117 I have reviewed the above referenced document prepared by Walsh Environmental for Colina Oro Molino and submitted on 10/10/97. I have also reviewed your draft adequacy letter, and offer the following comments. 1. In section 2 of the Conceptual Reclamation Plan, it is stated that the Gold Hill Mill is set up to use drainage water from the Hazel-A adit as process water. In fact, in order to use the Hazel-A water, the operator would have to obtain a well permit from the Office of the State Engineer. Since the operator is consuming Hazel-A water continuously through evaporation, even when the mill is not running, a well permit must be obtained. The Division raised this as an issue in an inspection report dated 8/5/96. In response, the operator applied for a well permit on 9/1 1/96. A check of the State Engineer's records indicates that the well permit application was found inadequate and was retnred to the operator on 9/30/96, with no subsequent action taken by the operator to obtain the permit. As such, the operator is currently consuming water from an unpermitted well (the Hazel-A adit).. 2. In section 3.l of the Conceptual Reclamation Plan, i[ is stated that operation and maintenance of the Hazel-A adit will be the responsibility of the owner once it has been pumped down and all Franklin equipment and piping are removed. [t was the operator, Colina Oro Molino, that plumbed the Hazel-A into the mill process water circuit, and it was Colina Oro Molino that inadvertently sluiced tailing into the Hazel-A. It was these actions that created the requirement for a CDPS permit to discharge ground water collected in the adit. In accordance with Water Quality Control Division and Environmental Protection Agency policy, the ground water discharged from the Hazel-A adit prior to Colino's actions would have been a low priority for CDPS permitting. As such, it is the operator's responsibility, not the landowner's, to maintain the Hazel-A in azero-discharge configuration or to assure that any discharges are in compliance with the Water Quality Control Act. If the operator discommects the decant line that plumbs the pond to the Hazel-A, and if the operator demonstrates to the satisfaction of the