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BMRI San Luis Project <br />CDMG Annual Report <br />March 2002 <br />Page 4 <br />As specified in the approved TR-010 and TR-031, weekly and monthly pond <br />compliance reports were reports were submitted to the Division. <br />Technical Revisions <br />BMRI continued implementation of TR-26 as approved on May 23, 2000. BMRI has been <br />actively managing the West Pit hydrologic system since July 1999, and the water <br />management plan developed in TR-26 has been fully implemented according to schedule. <br />The water management techniques employed since the submission of TR-26 to CDMG has <br />reversed and maintained the West Pit hydrologic gradient at a ground water elevation <br />(8582 ft amsl) below the Rito Seco streambed channel since February 8, 2000 eliminating <br />any surface water expressions. Ground water recovery wells M-32 and M-33 installed <br />during calendar year 2000 to capture and remove contaminates contained in the Rito Seco <br />alluvial groundwater system continued to be operated throughout calendar year 2001. <br />Ground water recovered from the M-32 and M-33 wells was pumped back to the West Pit <br />water treatment plant, treated and discharged in accordance with the Colorado Department <br />of Public Health and Environment discharge permit. Groundwater elevations in the <br />vicinity of these wells were maintained below an elevation of 8540 ft amsl to ensure <br />ground water capture and prevent downgradient migration of any contaminates contained <br />in the Rito Seco alluvial groundwater system. Each of these actions has substantially <br />improved the West Pit and Rito Seco alluvial groundwater quality. <br />A total of 146,614,300 gallons (449.97 acre feet) of water was pumped from the West Pit <br />(407.66 acre feet) and Rito Seco alluvial (42.3 acre feet) ground water systems during <br />calendar year 2001. Of this water, 127,876,400 gallons (392.47 acre feet) was delivered to <br />Rito Seco Creek in accordance with the Colorado Department of Public Health and <br />Environment CDPS permit and 13,797,600 gallons (42.35 acre feet) was transferred to the <br />tailing facility and applied to revegetation irrigation in accordance with TR-30. Substantial <br />improvements to the water treatment plant were completed during calendar year 2001. <br />These improvements were focused on water treatment plant efficiency. Efficiencies in the <br />water treatment plant were improved from 50 to 66 percent efficiency during early 2001 to <br />a consistent operating efficiency in excess of 90 percent by year's end. <br />During the course of the calendar year 2001, BMRI submitted one technical revision <br />application to the Division. This revision (TR-31) requested and subsequently the Division <br />approved modifications to the monitoring plan eliminating redundant monitoring <br />