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<br />final stages of reclamation. In undertaking the normal course of field modifications to a project of <br />this size and scope, CMC found itself constricted by the affected area boundaries established by <br />the 1989 Amendment. A similar situation occurred during planning and construction of the new <br />lime slaking facility constructed as an upgrade to the water treatment system. <br />In reviewing its 5 year plan and longer term plans for the Climax property, CMC identified a <br />number of areas where forecast maintenance and reclamation activities could exceed the 1989 <br />Amendment boundaries. Therefore, CMC is seeking this Amendment to allow for additional <br />acreage to buffer these activities now and in the future. <br />2.2 Scope of the Amendment (Exhibit D Information) <br />The Scope of this proposed amendment has been discussed generally in Section 2.1. The increase <br />in affected land is not being sought to increase mining or milling related activities. Rather, the <br />increase fills in corridors and isolated "holes" within and around the existing Climax facilities to <br />expedite present and future maintenance, reclamation-related tasks, and property improvement <br />activities. In addition, the proposed amendment accounts for inclusion of the Bartlett Mountain <br />roads and the addition of Robinson Reservoir into the affected area. The former corrects an <br />oversight from 1989, and the latter is included because Climax intends to remediate this water <br />body in the future in a manner similar to Eagle Park Reservoir. To a degree, CMC wishes to <br />return a portion of the acreage deleted from affected land status in 1989 back to that status. <br />• Thus, the scope of the Amendment is considered broad but not complex. <br />An issue relative to Scope with which Climax has labored involves the non-point source, run-on <br />interceptor system. This long established system consists of the east and west interceptor <br />ditches which are designed to capture clean precipitation and snow-melt run-on and divert it <br />away from mine facilities/process waters and off of the property. While this system was <br />constructed as part of the operation, Climax does not consider it as part of the affected lands <br />because it must remain in place following final closure and terminal reclamation. The rationale for <br />this decision involves water rights and access. The east interceptor canals are part of the <br />necessary conveyance system for senior and very valuable water rights owned by Climax. The <br />west interceptor ditch is integrated into the west side access road. This road provides the only <br />vehicular access to public lands in the areas of Tucker Mountain, Jacque Peak, Searle Gulch, and <br />Elk Ridge. For this reason alone, it is important that this road not be obliterated during final <br />reclamation of the Climax site. However, as future skiing facilities at Copper Mountain and Vail <br />expand in the direction of Climax (this expansion is beginning to occur at present), this vehicular <br />access may become necessary and critical to maintenance and support of those back bowl areas. <br />6 <br />E