1996-06-10_REPORT - M1977378 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Site Reclamation Activity 4/95 - 3/96 Page 12 Discussion: Water quality monitoring of each of the sites listed above shows varying results as was the case for 1994. In the Mayflower Mill area, zinc concentrations in the Animas River appears to be elevated for the spring sample and the results of the Boulder Creek spring sampling have not been received. It appears that this spring event may be consistent but appears only during a narrow window in the spring. SGC has not found a cause. Groundwater springs, one above Tailings Pond #4 (which is now being diverted around the pond) and one surfacing in the vicinity of the Engineering Office Site buildings, have been sampled. These results have not been received for evaluation. The American Tunnel site monitoring shows general stream improvement due to the influence of the treated American Tunnel discharge on stream quality. The monitored seep ATS2 appears to have drastically improved due to the American Tunnel waste dump and historic Lead Carbonate tailings reclamation. The seep ATS1 appears to have disappeared due to the reclamation. The Eureka Creek monitoring gave similar results to the previous two years. MONITORING - Settling, subsidence and phreatic water levels. Included in Appendix A are settlement monitoring data for Tailings Pond #4, subsidence monitoring for the Sunnyside and Washington open-pit highwalls (now reclaimed) in Sunnyside Basin and phreatic water level monitoring for Tailings Pond #4. As noted under the discussion of the Sunnyside Basin area, the highwall monitoring was not done in 1995 due to loss of survey control. This will either be reestablished in 1996 and monitoring continued or the requirement for monitoring deleted from the permit by approval of DMG. There does not appear to be any disturbing trends noted by this monitoring.