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• Page 2 <br /> 1.1 Site Background <br /> The Eagle River Valley is located northwest of the Climax Mine at the headwaters of the East <br /> Fork of the Eagle River in Eagle County, Colorado. The average elevation within the valley is <br /> approximately 10,900 feet above mean sea level. <br /> The Eagle Park Reservoir covers a 59-acre area and is intended to be used to store fresh water <br /> prior to delivery to the East Fork of the Eagle River. Delivery is scheduled to begin in the Fall of <br /> 1997. The reservoir was constructed in 1962 to impound fine-grained tailings from oxide ore <br /> processed at the Climax Mill. Oxide deposition continued until late 1968 when it was stopped <br /> due to changes in mill operations. The total volume of oxide tailings deposited in Eagle Park <br /> Reservoir is estimated to be approximately 1.2 million cubic yards (Climax Molybdenum <br /> Company, 1996). <br /> As part of the reclamation activities scheduled to be completed in 1996, the oxide tailings present <br /> in the reservoir will be removed using standard excavation methods. Minor quantities of tailings <br /> • may remain at the bottom of the reservoir. However, residual tailings, if present, are not <br /> expected to have a measurable impact on water delivered through the dam spillway for several <br /> reasons, including: <br /> • Source removal: Past sampling of the water in the Eagle Park Reservoir indicates some <br /> impact of tailings on water quality. After tailings removal, the impact of any residual tailings <br /> will likely be insignificant. <br /> • Limited interaction: The volume of water in contact with any residual tailings will be very <br /> small compared to the volume of water contained by the reservoir. <br /> • Inert nature of tailings: Previous Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure tests conducted <br /> on tailings in the reservoir indicate their inert nature. Recent acid neutralization potential <br /> tests indicate tailings have a slight neutralization capacity. The tailings have been stored in <br /> the reservoir for approximately 30 years. During that time, the more soluble components of <br /> the tailings dissolved. Mineral components of any remaining tailings should be much less <br /> soluble and therefore, be less likely to affect the water. <br /> CO2070 <br /> PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL _ <br /> —Environmental <br /> C.`,PROJECTS\6102-001\R 1 176102.001(6120/961 -- <br />