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CM0001673 <br />• <br />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 1-0 <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 />C02070 <br />PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL • <br />C;'MOlECTSKIPS -0OIVt117610I.00tI61?d%I ? ? ? M.=M.Environmental