Laserfiche WebLink
Hydrogeological Evaluation of Van 4 Mine <br />Introduction <br /> <br />Section 1 <br />Introduction <br />1.1 Purpose of Report <br />This report was developed to provide information regarding geologic and <br />hydrogeologic conditions at the Denison Mines (USA) Corp.'s (Denison) Van 4 Mine. <br />This report was developed in accordance with a March 31, 2008 letter from Denison to <br />the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety (DBMS) (Denison 2008). <br />1.2 Site Description and Location <br />The Van 4 Mine is an underground uranium mine, which is located in Montrose <br />County, Colorado, within the Uravan Mineral District, one of the major uranium- <br />producing mineral districts in the United States. The Van 4 Mine is located on <br />Monogram mesa in the east half of Section 29, Township 46N, Range 17W, New <br />Mexico Principle Meridian. The mine area has a surface elevation of approximately <br />6,900 feet (ft.) above mean sea level (amsl). The location of the Van 4 Mine is shown <br />on Figure 1-1. <br />The Van 4 Mine affected area of the mine includes "...the surface of an area within the <br />state where a mining operation is or will be conducted..." (Colorado Revised Statutes <br />Title 34, Article 32, Section 103 (CRS § 34-32-103)]. The affected area includes a shaft <br />collar, headframe, a small development rock area, and several ancillary buildings. A <br />vertical shaft is also present at the mine, which accesses underground mine workings. <br />Figure 1-2 is a map showing the location of mine facilities within the Van 4 Mine <br />affected area. <br />The mine is not currently producing and access into the underground workings is not <br />possible as a result of the existing condition of the headframe and shaft infrastructure. <br />However, underground production is planned to resume at the mine in the near <br />future. A map showing the location of existing underground workings is shown as <br />Figure 1-3. No mineral processing has been conducted at the site in the past, and <br />mineral processing is not planned to be conducted at the site in the future. The ore <br />will be transported to a mill located near Blanding, Utah for mineral processing. <br />1.3 Regulatory Background <br />As defined in the § 34-32-110, the Van 4 Mine is a limited impact operation and is <br />regulated by the DRMS under a 110(2) Permit; DRMS Permit No. M-1997-032. <br />This evaluation is a component of the first phase of activities planned by Denison to <br />address Designated Mining Operation (DMO) status at the Van 4 Mine as set forth by <br />the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Act and associated regulations. This work was <br />initiated in response to notice by the DRMS that the Division was re-classifying the <br />Van 4 Mine as a DMO, as provided for by the Mineral Rules and Regulations of the <br />i cm <br />1-1 <br />CAnelson work\denison\ final van 4 hydro report\Dreft final Van 4 hydregeology report.doc