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t ~ <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />Roy Romer, Govei <br />DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES <br />MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION <br />FRED R. BANTA, Director <br />DATE: January 3, 1989 <br />T0: Steve Renner <br />FROM: Patricia Martinek <br />SUBJECT: Battle Flountain Resources, Inc. San Luis Project 112 Permit <br />Application, File No. M-BB-112, Ground-water adequacy concerns <br />I have reviewed all sections of this application which pertain to ground-water <br />issues, including Exhibit E (Reclamation Plan), Sections G.3 and G.5.2 (Water <br />Information) and pertinent portions of Exhibit D (Mining Plan) and Appendices <br />E and F. <br />Ground-water data includes generalized well canpletion details of boreholes, <br />permeability studies, confined aquifer flow studies, water quality data, a <br />localized potentianetric surface map of the pit areas, and a generalized <br />interpretation of these data. <br />There are two subjects which appear to be inadequate: the proposed <br />ground-water monitoring network, and the specific ground-water <br />characterization of the west pit which is critical to the reclamation plan for <br />this pit. <br />Ground-mater Monitoring <br />Figure G-1 on page G-2 shows the locations of all proposed water mor,',.~ring <br />stations in the project area. This figure includes eleven ground-water <br />monitoring walls, of which three are located near the proposed heap leach <br />facilities, two are located near the waste disposal piles, and the remainder <br />(six wells) are located in or near the pit areas, Figure G-9 shows three <br />additional monitoring wells in the pit areas. <br />Four monitoring wells were drilled around the processing facility. Wells M-2 <br />and M-4 are intended to be downgradient, and well M-3 is intended to be <br />upgradient, of the processing facility. The proposed use of M-5 is not <br />discussed. The narrative states that M-2 and M-3 were dry, water was <br />encountered in ri-4 at less than 100 feet, and no data is presented for M-5, <br />well drilled adjacent to M-2 encountered water at 125 feet. The narrative <br />states that the water table in the processing area may be as deep as 400 feet <br />based upon geophysical logs. This data indicates that the wells intended to <br />be downgradient of the process facilities have water levels higher than those <br />projected in the process area and therefore may be locally upgradient or <br />hydraulically disconnected. The only well intended to be upgradient of the <br />process facilities is dry. <br />r <br />215 Centennial Building, ~ 313 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203-2273 Tel. (303) 866-3567 <br />