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San Juan County Mining 'v enture <br /> Sunnyside Mine <br /> Washington Mining Co. -Operator r ' <br /> P.O.Boa 177 ' d <br /> Silverton, CO 81433 •.. <br /> (Ph.303-387-5833 FAX 387-5310) <br /> March 14, 1989 <br /> Ms . Sandy Marek <br /> Water Quality Control Division <br /> Colorado Department of Health <br /> Denver, CO 80220 <br /> Re : Reported Spill at Mayflower Mill , March 3 , 1989 <br /> Dear Ms. Marek: <br /> This letter is a written report on the spill reported by <br /> telephone March 3 , 1989 . <br /> The site of the spill was Tailings Pond #3 , which is <br /> inactive except for use as: a spill containment structure <br /> for the tailings transport line and pump; and a sludge <br /> disposal site for solids generated from American Tunnel and <br /> Terry Tunnel water treatment . <br /> In chronological order the following events took place <br /> (times are approximate) : <br /> March 3 , 1989 <br /> 15 : 40 Joe Todeschi, Mill Superintendent, was traveling <br /> between the mill and the office in Silverton and saw a <br /> grayish flow coming off the Tailings Pond #3 and into <br /> the ditch along Hwy. 110 . He assumed it was caused by <br /> the pump box located by Tailings Pond #3 overflowing <br /> and not being contained in Pond #3 as should be the <br /> case. He went to Tailings Pond #4 and instructed the <br /> pond crew to put the tailings system on direct bypass <br /> into Pond #4 (instead of through the cyclone) . This <br /> would decrease the pressure required from the tailings <br /> pump and increase capacity of the system. He assumed <br /> the system was being overloaded by runoff water being <br /> pumped into the tailings system for transport to <br /> Tailings Pond #4 . He then proceeded to the office in <br /> Silverton to call the mill and instruct a crew to bring <br /> a loader to tailings pond #3 to work on diverting the <br /> flow back into Pond #3 . <br />