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OBSERVATIONS <br />PERMIT #: P- 2011 -031 <br />INSPECTOR'S INITIALS: MAC <br />INSPECTION DATE: October 6, 2011 <br />The inspection was conducted by Michael Cunningham and Tom Kaldenbach of the Division of Reclamation, <br />Mining and Safety (Division). Mr. Chandler Cook was also present during the inspection. The Alicia Mine is <br />located approximately one mile east of Jamestown, Colorado on James Canyon Drive. <br />On October 4, 2011, the Division received notification from the Emergency Preparedness and Response <br />Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that James Creek in Boulder County <br />had turned orange. The initial report issued from Boulder County Public Health stated the incident was <br />possibly related to a mining operation. On October 5, 2011, the Division received further information <br />regarding the incident and learned that James Creek had turned orange as a result of a discharge of <br />approximately 15, 000 gallons of mine water from the Alicia Mine; the orange coloring of James Creek was <br />attributed to iron oxide. Iris Sherman of Boulder County Public Health conducted an inspection of the Alicia <br />Mine on October 4, 2011 and reported that Mr. Chandler Cook was digging a ditch near the entrance of the <br />Alicia Mine, which resulted in the release of orange muddy water that flowed into James Creek. Mr. Cook <br />informed Boulder County Public Health that he had a mine claim on the property. <br />Prior to inspecting the site, the Division conducted a review of all permitted mine sites in Boulder County and <br />found no record of a reclamation permit or Notice of Intent (NOI) to conduct prospecting being issued for the <br />Alicia Mine. The Division conducted its inspection of the Alicia Mine on October 6, 2011. The entrance to the <br />Alicia Mine is located on the south side of James Creek, approximately 60 feet from the southern bank. The <br />mine is accessed from a vehicle pull -off area on the south side of James Canyon Drive. A well worn path leads <br />from the pull -off area down to the creek where a temporary foot bridge provided access over James Creek. <br />Upon arriving at the site, the Division met Mr. Cook who confirmed that he was involved in the incident. Mr. <br />Cook informed the Division that he had purchased a placer claim and the necessary permits required to <br />prospect for gold on James Creek. Mr. Cook began prospecting approximately 5 weeks before the incident <br />occurred. Mr. Cook was informed the Division did not have a record of a NOI to conduct prospecting for this <br />site being filed with the office. <br />The Division observed several gold pans and a 2" suction dredge located near the south bank of James Creek. <br />Mr. Cook had set up a camp immediately to the east of the Alicia Mine adit. The camp site contained a tent, <br />several chairs, lanterns, coolers, shovels, pick -axes, and an abandoned generator and compressor. According <br />to Mr. Cook, the Alicia Mine was discharging water when he first arrived at the site; the original discharge <br />flowed into the area where his camp is currently located. Mr. Cook constructed the ditch to route water away <br />from his camp site. Once the mine water was rerouted, Mr. Cook used tailings which were present at the site <br />to cover the area where his camp is now located. Mr. Cook informed the Division that he was not present at <br />the site when the mine discharged an estimated 15,000 gallons of mine water and iron oxide precipitate. <br />According to Mr. Cook, several men who were working for him were shoveling the iron oxide precipitate from <br />within the adit when the discharge occurred. <br />The Alicia Mine adit is approximately 6 -8 feet in height and 4 -6 feet in width. The Division did not observe any <br />gates or other types of closures which had been removed from the entrance. A ditch was leading from the <br />entrance of the mine directly north towards James Creek. The ditch was approximately 12 inches in depth and <br />8 inches in width and extended from the adit entrance for a distance of 30 feet. The Division observed water <br />flowing through the ditch from the Alicia Mine at a rate of approximately 1 gallon per minute; the water <br />flowing from the mine was relatively clear at the time of the inspection. The ditch terminated approximately <br />Page 2 of 10 <br />