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• Eagle Park Reservoir <br /> A Summary of Water Resource Development <br /> and Reclamation of the Oxide Pond, Climax Mine <br /> Introduction <br /> Eagle Park Reservoir has been the subject of a large scale reclamation and <br /> redevelopment project at the Climax Mine. The history of the reservoir has changed <br /> since construction in the 1960's from a tailing impoundment to its current use in water <br /> storage. The ability to develop water storage for delivery into the Eagle River basin is <br /> predicated on the removal of source material (tailing), and the assurance of both dam <br /> safety and water quality. The project was initiated during a period of non-production at <br /> Climax when water rights were recognized as a long term asset for the property. <br /> Through feasibility evaluations, tailing removal, and the implementation of pollution <br /> prevention, dam modification, and reclamation programs, the reservoir is now prepared <br /> for water storage. <br /> History <br /> Climax No. 4-Dam (a.k.a. Oxide Pond, now Eagle Park Reservoir) is the lowermost <br /> • water impoundment in the Eagle River basin at the Climax Mine. The impoundment was <br /> constructed in two stages from 1964 to 1968 to support the development of a <br /> molybdenum oxide ore extraction process. Tailing from the tech-oxide molybdenum <br /> recovery system was managed through separate regrind circuits and pre-concentration <br /> prior to acid leaching at the Oxide Plant. The tailing material from this process was of a <br /> finer gradation and therefore needed to be 'managed separately from the cyclone <br /> deposition on 1-, 2-, and 3-Dams located in the Tenmile Creek drainage. The <br /> management applied to the oxide tailing called for impoundment behind the earthen <br /> core 4-Dam. Tailing deposition in the impoundment occurred between 1966 and 1969. <br /> A limestone milling circuit for limestone delivery was initiated in 1971 and 1972 to <br /> neutralize the water for return to the mill. <br /> Conceptual Development <br /> Citation of the reclamation planning for the Oxide Pond is important to the <br /> understanding of the drivers for this project. In 1977, the Climax Mine Reclamation <br /> Permit discussed use of the Oxide Pond as a water storage impoundment and an <br /> emergency tailing deposition system. Tailing were to be reclaimed in place using a <br /> riprap cap followed by agronomic treatments; seeding, and shrub or tree establishment. <br /> The reclamation permit was amended in 1989, changing the post-mining land use of the <br /> Oxide Pond to water resources. The timetable identified in the 1989 amendment <br /> indicated that the water resource development was complete. At the time, the utility of <br /> the reservoir was targeted at water delivery, through treatment, into Tenmile Creek. <br /> Definition of the methods and requirements needed to develop the reservoir for water <br /> delivery into the East Fork of the Eagle River were not specifically outlined. Final <br /> 1 <br />