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Pitch Reclamation Project <br />Colorado Mined Land <br />Reclamation Board <br />2010 Annual <br />Reclamation Report <br />EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br />Homestake Mining Company of California (Homestake) operated the Pitch Uranium <br />mine in Saguache County, Colorado from 1979 until 1984. The mine extracted <br />uranium ore and trucked it to their mill in Grants, New Mexico. In 1984, mining was <br />suspended and the mine was placed in a care and maintenance status. Incremental <br />reclamation and revegetation of mine site disturbances were performed throughout <br />the period of 1985 to 1993. In 1993, Homestake initiated the process of permanently <br />closing the mine. <br />Since 1993, closure activities have included pit wall grade-down and partial <br />backfilling of the North Pit to reduce pit wall movement, the contouring and <br />revegetation of the approximately 230 acres of disturbed area, construction of a plug <br />in the Pinnacle Adit to reduce seepage and improve water quality, monitoring of <br />slope stability in the North and South pits, construction of surface water controls, and <br />the dismantling and removal of the Radium Treatment Plant (RTP) as well as <br />associated foundation materials and soils. This includes on-site disposal in the Tie <br />Camp Creek Disposal Cell. <br />The project lost its site manager, Vern Kelso, to a snow mobile accident in March of <br />' 2010. Vern's death was a tremendous loss to all, and set back the monitoring <br />program until a new site manager, Dale Davis, was hired in May. Dale had a steep <br />learning curve at the site, but by mid-year he had a firm grasp on mine site issues, <br />monitoring and compliance requirements. <br />During 2010, Homestake maintained. the remaining mine facilities and fulfilled permit <br />and license related compliance programs which included the following activities: <br />• Monitored water quality discharged at the point of compliance (POC), <br />SW-33, and submitted monthly discharge monitoring reports to the Water <br />Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and <br />Environment (CDPHE) per the requirements of the Colorado Discharge <br />Permit System (CDPS) permit #CO-0022756 renewal effective on January <br />1, 2010; <br />• Continued activities under the conditions of the Radioactive Materials <br />License (RML) issued by the Colorado Department of Health and <br />Environment - Hazardous Materials & Waste Management Division (Permit <br />#150-01, Amendment 14); <br />1