2010-11-08_INSPECTION - M1977300

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(Page 2) MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID #: M-1977-300 INSPECTION DATE: 09 September 2010 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: DRZ OBSERVATIONS This inspection was conducted by Tony Waldron and David Bird of DRMS with the primary purpose of examining the water treatment system that had been installed in accordance with Technical Revision 12. Representing the operator on the inspection were John Hamrick and Randy Whicker. Also attending the inspection were Roy Laws, John Moody, and Patrick O'Connell of Jefferson County. Duane Bollig of WRT (Water Remediation Technology, LLQ was on site and provided a tour of the water treatment facility. The treatment system is located inside the building that housed the former water treatment system. The system consists of a series of four down-flow vessels holding anion exchange columns containing WRT's proprietary uranium-specific media Z-92. Mr. Bollig explained that each of the four vessels can hold several hundred pounds of uranium when fully loaded, and one column can last about six months. The system is currently treating ground water pumped from Sump One, Sump Four, and monitoring well MW-9, at a rate of about 100 gpm. Other than some incidental removal of accessory anions such as sulfate, the system is only designed to remove uranium. Thus, other potentially problematic constituents that are not removed by this system could be discharged to Ralston Creek. An example is sulfate, which was being released at a concentration of 560 mg/L as shown on the attached laboratory report. The piping network for the system is currently above ground, and efforts are planned to bury the piping in the near future in advance of freezing temperatures. Ralston Creek adjacent to the mine site is now dry except for a few areas of standing water, so the treatment system currently discharges to a dry streambed. The operator reports that the current conditions are typical of most years; the creek is dry adjacent to the mine facility but gains flow below the property boundary. Also during the inspection the operator showed the Division a newly discovered pipe that was sticking from the ground just south of the storm water retention pond. The operator reported in letters dated 3 September 2010 and 24 September 2010 that the site environmental technician first observed the pipe discharging during a field investigation the morning of 20 July 2010. The rate of discharge was estimated at about 2 gpm. Photographs taken months earlier indicated that the pipe was not previously discharging, so this is believed to be a recent development. Samples collected by Cotter indicating a uranium concentration of 20-25 mg/L, along with trilinear plots done by the operator indicating comparable major ion ratios, lead them to believe that the discharge originated from the mine pool. They were able to stop the flow by raising the end of the pipe a few feet. The pipe was not flowing during the inspection, and the operator postulated that the cessation of flow may be related to a recent drop in the mine pool level, which is monitored continuously. If this discharge were permanent, it would likely require reporting under the emergency provisions of Hard Rock Rule 8.1. However, since the operator is able to stop the flow, adverse impacts to human health, property, or the environment do not appear imminent. The operator has not yet started pumping and treating the mine pool as ordered by the Mined Land Reclamation Board in their Order of 11 August 2010. The operators made a noteworthy comment pertaining to the elevation of the mine pool. They said that the level of the mine pool was now only about 15 feet below the level of the Steve and Pierce adits, which represents a rise of a few feet after several months of stasis. & E Contact Address NAME: OPERATOR: STREET: Gus Gaviotis Cotter Corporation 7800 E. Dorado Place, Suite 210 CITY/STATE/ZIP: Englewood. CO 80111 F BLM F USFS F HW r HMWMD F OSE F WQCD (Mike Harris) F OTHER (Denver Water, Arvada Water, Table Mtn Water, JeffCo)