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0 6.2 Waterlines and Tanks <br />Waterlines in the mine are hung from the roof to avoid damage by equipment. These lines <br />will be inspected daily. The waterline from the mine portal to the Untreated Water Tank <br />is constructed of fused 3-inch, thick-walled HDPE pipe. The pipe was pressure tested <br />prior to burial to ensure that there were no leaks. The line was buried at a depth of four to <br />five feet to prevent freezing or accidental damage. The location of the pipe was plotted on <br />the site map for future reference. <br />The tank liners consist of two 30-mil HDPE liners with a geotextile drainage blanket <br />sandwiched between the two liners. The liner seams were double welded and strength <br />tested at the factory in accordance with the liner manufacturer's recommendations. A <br />geosynthetic clay liner (Claymax 200R) was added at the base of each tank to provide <br />further protection against leaks. A chain link fence is to be constructed around the tanks <br />and treatment plant to prevent access by large wildlife and unauthorized personnel. <br />The plant operators will be responsible for daily inspection of each of the tanks and the <br />areas around the tanks. The inspection will include checking freeboard and the dip tube <br />leak detector in each tank and looking for evidence of damaged liner, leaks, or erosion. <br />The potential for leaks is generally small because, as discussed previously, each tank has <br />three liners. Pipes, pipe connections, and overflow points will also be inspected to verify <br />that there are no obstructions or damaged areas. <br />The plant operators will inspect sludge levels in the Settling Tank to verify that there is <br />adequate water storage capacity and the water is not being short circuited directly to the <br />Polish Tank. Any sludge accumulation in the Polish Tank should be noted on the <br />inspection checklist, as this may be an early warning sign of low retention time in the <br />Settling Tank. <br />6.3 Treatment Plant <br />The degree of water treatment required during exploration and mining operations is <br />expected to change over time. During exploration, the treatment plant is expected to <br />operate longer hours to dewater the lower portions of the mine workings. However, the <br />water quality is expected to be relatively good during exploration thus requiring less <br />addition of chemicals. As the operation transitions from exploration to mining, the <br />volume of water is expected to decrease but levels of radium, uranium, and other trace <br />metals are expected to increase in the water due to recirculation of the water within the <br />ore zone for drilling and other uses. <br />Required water monitoring is established in the Colorado Discharge Permit System <br />(CDPS) Permit for the Whirlwind Project (Permit No. CO-0047562) that was approved <br />by the Colorado Division of Water Quality Control (DWQC) on July 30, 2007. The <br />permit requires that the plant discharge be sampled for the parameters shown in Table <br /> <br />20