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y ~ , Region re~,rt III IIIIIIIII IIII III 999 ~#o Seco weer plate riles locals By ERIN SMITH Thr PorrLlu ClnrJtnm SAN LCIS - Neazly 100 peo- ple showed up at a public hearin_ this wetk to criticize a plan by the Barth Mountain Gold Co. to dis- chazee vented water into Rito Seco Creek here. Their remarks came at a hearing held by the Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Depart- ment of Public Health and Environment. The gold mine, about 1 milts northeast of here. no longer oper- ates. Last .Aus. 20, the mining com- pany was issued a notice of viola- tion and ordered to stop dischazg- inginto the stream. The residents said that dis- chazge fmm the mine's west pic is contaminating the water supply with elements such as cyanide. manganese, sulfates, fluoride, iron. aluminium and copper. They also accused state agencies of befriend- ing the big mining company rather than protecting the residents. Rachef Conn of the Costilla County Committee for Environ- mental Soundness said Rito Stco Creek water does not meet water quality standards. Physician Colin Henderson, who is with the Conejos County public health department and has patients in Costilla County, said the mining company's permit request is flawed. Henderson is president of the Alliance for Responsible Mining. a citizens' advocacy group he stared to combs[ the use of cya- nide in open pit mining. He said there are manganese and sulfate problems with the efFluent from the mine site. He noted that the Citan Water Ac[ allows release of pollutants, but they must be "spec- ified and monitored." He said it appears the state is giving Battle Mountain a "blank check" [o do what the company wanted. 'r's a yew trust-erod~nq Dr. Colin Henderson speaks at a Battle Mountain Gold hearing. situation:' Henderson said. adding that the permit request should be withdrawn and dte state and the company should "start over" to allow the commurtip• ro be part of the issue. "This town can become another Love Canal:' said Judv Cooper. whose Shalom Ranch lies along Rito Seco Creek below the two discharge points from the [nine. Leroy Medina president of the San Luis Water and Sanitation District, suggested that the state require the mining company [o drill wells on Shalom Ranch and monitor them. Dave Akers, manaeer of the state health department's water quality protection section. said such wells should be closer to the mine's west pi[ from which the dischart[es are occurtino. A number of officials. includine San Luis Mayor John Apodaca, Costilla County Commissioners Floyd Espinoza and Virginia Cor- dova asked [he stale agency to consider the concerns of the community. Wendy Mellott. who heads the Sr~^t^~~rv+"t V+~t sae's rec4~tca1 assistance croup acoss the San Luis Valley~in tht San Juan Moun- tains, said what is happening alone the Iti[o Seco is "similar to Sum- mitville." She noted that seven veaza and an estimated 5150 tril- lion to 5200 million will be spent on the Summitville Supertund site "but we have a dead river (the Alanosa):' she said. Nike McGowan. research director for the Costilla County Conservancy District. said that whet Battle Mountain firs[ pro- posed the reining operation. whiuh lasted from spring 1990 to October 199b, the Department of Health said there was no dischazge •of met:ds such as aluminium. "fhe Division of Minerals and Geoloey is awfully chummy with the (mining) industn." ht said. McGowan and Costilla Count. Conservancy District President Maclovio Ntartinez susested that independent data ba ~a[hered instead of relying on the mintn~~ industry before any permit io issued. No one was present from Ba[dt Mountain Gold. Chienain ao:o w Enn Smim