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13. Climate <br />No accurate weather information is available for the area of the mine site. Annual precipitation is <br />estimated to be between 10 and 15 inches per year. It falls as rain showers in the spring, summer, and <br />fall with occasional thunderstorms, and as snow in the winter months. Evapotranspiration will greatly <br />exceed the precipitation due to the summer heat and abundant sunshine, even in winter, at this south - <br />sloping location. (Map 4 of the NOAA Technical Report NWS 33 shows evaporation at the site is 50 <br />inches per year). Temperatures in the region range from lows a few degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) to <br />highs slightly above 100 degrees. Site - specific wind data is not available but the prevailing winds are <br />generally from west to east. Data from the two nearest weather stations, Norwood and Yellow Jacket, <br />Colorado, are included in Appendix U -4. <br />14. Geochemical Data and Analysis <br />No Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SPLP) tests were conducted on waste rock samples from <br />this mine to determine the waste's potential for leaching radionuclides and metals. However, SPLP tests <br />on similar material from waste rock of other mines in the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation <br />indicate that the waste rock generally has low leaching potential. Results of the leach testing of waste <br />rock at other Salt Wash mines are shown in the reference table attached as Appendix U -1.The waste <br />rock will be placed on the surface of the same formation and stratigraphic horizon that the mine <br />workings are in. The Salt Wash rocks lack sufficient sulfide mineral content to be acid forming. The <br />average carbonate content of the Salt Wash exceeds the average sulfide content. <br />No SPLP tests were conducted on ore samples from the mine. However, it is expected that the results of <br />such testing would indicate a leachate containing elevated levels of radium, uranium, arsenic, and <br />selenium as does SPLP testing of ore samples from similar Salt Wash uranium mines. The results of the <br />leach testing of ore from other Salt Wash deposits are shown in the table attached as Appendix U -1. The <br />liner designed for installation beneath the ore stockpile will contain these and any other leachate from <br />the ore material, so leach testing is deemed unnecessary. <br />15. Construction Schedule Information <br />The ore stockpile liner is the only facility that will be constructed on -site to contain uranium or leachate <br />from the uranium ore. The liner will be constructed prior to resumption of ore production. Due to the <br />current depressed price of uranium and vanadium, the date of resumption is not known at the present. <br />The liner design is described in Appendix U -2. <br />16. QA/QC <br />The operator will notify the BLM and DRMS at least 10 working days in advance of ore stockpile liner <br />construction activities on site. This will allow the agencies the opportunity to conduct inspections prior <br />to, during, and after construction. A licensed professional engineer experienced in construction of liners <br />will be on site during the construction of the ore pad to verify that the facility is properly constructed. <br />8 <br />