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- • III IIIIIIIIIIIII III • 999 © CLIMAX MOLYBDENUM CUMF'ANY A Diaision of L}yrvs CLme. Metals Co. RF~E1VFp FEB 26 1996 February 23, 1996 Mr. Allen Sorenson Environmental Protection Specialist Division of Minerals & Geology 1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 Denver, Colorado 80203 RE: Emergency i~otitlcaiion information Henderson Mine and Mill Permit No. M-77-342 Dear Mr. Sorenson: Divis]on of M,nerais & t'epjo9Y Co~on~oo Oaewtnavs Henderson Mill 19302 County Roed x3 Pershell, Colorado 60468 Metro (3031 271-0107 OE of State 13031 569-3221 Faz: (970] 725-0036 The purpose of this letter is to inform you of an incident which occurred at the Henderson Mill on Wednesday, February 21, 1996, and is intended to meet the requirements of Rule #6. At approximately 7:00 a.m., the Mill experienced multiple power bumps causing a power outage to the Ute Park Pump House. At 8:00 a. m., a tailing pond employee, following procedures, closed the valves separating the seepwater collection pool from the trench leading to the pump house, thereby stropping the source of potential increased seep water levels at the pump house. The power failure adversely affected a process water pneumatically-operated v:11ve at the pump house. The air pressure slowly bled off which in turn, slowly opened the valve. As the valve opened, the process water discharged to the seepwater collection trench. But after several hours, the seepwater trench storage capacity was exa=_eded and the process water was drained onto the pump house floor. A pond technician drove by the pump house at 11:45 a.m. and saw no evidence of water running out of the pump house. At 1:20 p.m., another tailing pond employee noticed water running under the door of the pump house. After opening the doors at 1:35 p.m., a heavy volume of water began to discharge out the doors, across the road and ultimately into the unlinelj lower flood bypass ditch. The lower flood bypass ditch flows into the Williams Fork River approximately 1 mile downstream of the pump house. This point has been designated discharge point 006 in the CDPS discharge permit (CO-0000230), when it contains process water. The valve was manually closed at approximately 1:40 p.m. and all flow was stopped by 3:33 p.m. Flow out the door of the pumphouse is estimated at 400-500 gpm between 1:20 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., 300-400 gpm between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., and 50-100 gpm between 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The total volume of process water relea:red from the valve was in the range of 35,000 to 47,000 gallons. Discharge point 006 was inspected by Mill personnel shortly after the open valve was