1989-12-21_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981017

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CRAFT Subject To Board Approval Minutes , November 15 , 1989 PAGE 6 Setting time limits for all the parties for presentation during the Hearing was also discussed. 8. FORMAL PUBLIC HEARING MCCURDY 9 ROWE File No. M-89-013 377 Redd Lane Grand Junction, CO 81501 All persons wishing to give testimony were sworn. Sec. 2, T50N, R19W, Mesa County, 2 acres, metals. Consider possible notice of violation, cease and desist order, corrective actions, and civil penalties for mining without a permit. Staff stated that the Division was acting on information/documents provided by BLM's Grand Junction Resource area. The Division had not visited the site, but an aerial photograph of the site had been taken. EXHIBIT A, two snapshots and a map of the site were presented for review. In October of 1989, the Division received a telephone complaint of a possible illegal vat-leach operation near Gateway in Mesa County. The complainant was directed to contact the Division in writing to report what was occurring at the site, and the Division would take action at that time. No further information was received from the complainant. On October 10, 1989, the BLM noticed that there was activity at the site, and they conducted an inspection on October 13, 1989. During that inspection, BLM discovered five, 300-gal 1 on plastic tanks connected to a natural spring, a travel trailer, a 55-gallon drum labeled HCL, an unlabeled 55-gallon drum and miscellaneous mining related equipment were at the site; a processing site (70' X 70' ) had been excavated, and there were two mining areas (one 15' X 15 ' and one 30' X 30' ). In their inspection report, the BLM noted that sodium cyanide appeared to be used in the operation. On October 23, 1989, the BLM again inspected the site and determined approximately one acre of disturbance had occurred; they also noted two mix tanks, three process tanks, ten pounds of sodium cyanide; a 55-gallon drum of HCL as well as nitric acid, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and oxcillic acid. On that date, Mr. McCurdy notified BLM that the Department of Health 's Grand Junction Office had approved of the operation verbally, and the Department of Health notified Mr. McCurdy that no other permits were necessary. In BLM's October 23, 1989, inspection report it was noted that occurrences at the site included excavation of material from the two small mining areas; mixture of the ore with a sodium cyanide solution and there was settling, clarification and precipitation of minerals, as well as the neutralization and disposal of the barren sodium cyanide solution into an unlined pond site.