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• <br /> <br />16:00 I was talking to Camille Farrell of the MLRD on <br />the telephone and was asked ~•~hat was happening here as <br />they had a report of a spill occurence. I responded <br />that I didn't know, but would find out and keep her <br />informed. As I was leaving the Silverton office I met <br />Joe Todeschi and he told me what he thought was <br />happening. lie then called the mill and I went to Pond <br />#3 to look at the situation. At Pond #3 I observed a <br />small stream of grayish water (approximately 10 GPM) <br />flowing over the berm. The source of the water was n~~t <br />evident, but it appeared to be a combination of ice <br />melting inside the pond (the pond was full to or above <br />capacity from crinter thawing and freezing) and a sour<-e <br />in the vicinity of the pump house. This ,cater was <br />running along a pipe line on the berm to a lot•~ spot and <br />then over the berm. A small gasoline pump was set un <br />and pumping approximately 10 GPM of runoff water into <br />the runoff ditch between Pond #3 and Pond #4 from the <br />ice on top of Pond #3. As I was leaving to return to <br />tide office, the loader arrived to work on containing <br />the water in Pond #3. <br />16:40 I reported to Bill Goodhard, Resident Manager, and <br />together .~e called you at the Colorado Department of <br />Health and Camille Farrell of the MLRD and reported ttie <br />situation as explained above. <br />17:00 Bill Goodhard and I then returned to the Pond #3 <br />site to inspect the situation closer. We met with Joe <br />Todeschi at Pond #3 and decided that shutting the mill <br />docrn as reported to you o-rould not improve the situation <br />as the source of water was not the pump box but <br />hillside runoff that was being caught and channeled <br />alonu; the berm by an ice ditch formed by freezing and <br />thawing along a black pipeline laying on the ground <br />(tailings transport line). The gray color came from <br />runoff crossing tailing spillage from the pump box. A <br />loader was being used to build up the lo~a spot on the <br />berm to force the flow back into Pond #3 and the flow <br />was basically contained. <br />Following Events: <br />A contractor was used to dig large sump holes along the <br />berm (inside the pond) to catch the melting water so it <br />could be pumped back to the pump houue for transport to <br />Tailings Pond #4. Fle excavated up to 4' of ice built <br />up by freezing and thawing throughout the winter. <br />Enough 4" diameter pipe was ordered to place a graded <br />gravity line between Pond #3 and Pond #4 to replace the <br />line that should decant into the tailings transport <br />line. This decant line plugs from tailings bacl•.up and <br />freezing. <br />