2011-03-14_REVISION - M1977493 (48)

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Permit Amendment (AM-06) - Climax Mine CM0000075 appropriate, a technical revision JR) will be prepared and submitted to DRMS for review and approval. G-2 Current Configuration The Climax Mine is currently an active operation and CIVIC has been conducting planning and permitting activities to enable the Climax Mine to extract and produce minerals in response to demand for molybdenum concentrate, and to conduct ongoing reclamation activities. Due to the configuration of the site that has developed from past mining activities, the operation of various water handling systems must continue in order to comply with regulatory requirements. Over the years, CIVIC has dedicated significant resources to the development water resource systems at the site and has achieved an excellent record of regulatory compliance. This includes vigilant water management and water treatment to comply with discharge permit requirements, as well as establishing and maintaining a water system to support mining operations. G-2.1 System Overview In a non-mineral production mine scenario, the primary functions of the water systems are to collect impacted waters on the site and provide treatment prior to discharge into Tenmile Creek. This process includes the interception and bypass of fresh water to minimize the amount of water requiring treatment. In accordance with current NPDES permit requirements, Tenmile Creek is the only drainage basin into which treated water can be discharged. This requirement dictates the configuration of many of the systems described below. In addition, an ongoing requirement at the site is the protection of facilities from extreme flood events. G-2.2 Fresh Water Interceptor and Bypass Systems As shown on Figure AM-06-G-01, an extensive system of interception and bypass facilities has been developed at the Climax Mine. The purpose of these facilities is to limit the inflow of fresh water into the process water system where the flows would become impacted and require treatment prior to discharge to Tenmile Creek. The facilities generally consist of canals, culverts, and pipelines that traverse the perimeter of the impacted affected land areas and discharge into the stream system. These facilities are generally designed to convey normal snowmelt and rainfall runoff. With the exception of Clinton Reservoir, the facilities are not designed to convey runoff from extreme precipitation events. The following bypass systems are currently in operation at the site: ¦ East Interceptor (open channel, culverts, pipeline); ¦ Clinton Reservoir and Canal (open channel and culverts); ¦ West Interceptor (open channel, culverts, pipeline); ¦ West Interceptor South (open channel); • Chalk Mountain Interceptor (open channel and culverts); and ¦ Storke Area Interceptor (open channel and culverts); Operation and maintenance of these systems is an ongoing process. Periodic minor modifications and improvements are also made to the facilities as necessary. G-2.3 Impacted Water Sources Waters at the site that have come into contact with mining materials, including the open pit and underground mine rubble, overburden storage facilities (OSFs), and TSFs are generally assumed to be impacted and therefore require treatment prior to discharge from the site. The impacts generally include low pH and elevated concentrations of heavy metals. The following is a list of the primary impacted water sources at the site. The general location of these sources is identified on Figure AM-06-G-01. ¦ Underground Mine Drainage and Pit Runoff ¦ Storke Area Seepage ¦ Camp Area Runoff and Seepage • Exhibit G G-2 May 2010