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Stormwater Inspection Report <br /> Permittee: High Mountain Mining, LLC. Cert. No.: None Date: 12/01/2014 <br /> Facility: Alma Placer Mine Industrial Type: Placer Mining Receiving Water: Middle Fork of <br /> the South Platte River <br /> Facility Address: North side of Highway 9 on the east end of the Town of Alma, Colorado 80110 <br /> Persons present: Jim Murray (Managing Member, High Mountain Mining, LLC.); Eric Mink, Maura McGovern and <br /> John Nieland (CDPHE - Water Quality Control Division) <br /> Facility Representative(s)/Title(s): Jim Murray (Managing Inspector(s): Maura McGovern (CDPHE -- <br /> Member, High Mountain Mining, LLC.); Water Quality Control Division) <br /> Inspection Findings <br /> The Water Quality Control Division (division) inspector held a closing conference at the conclusion of the <br /> inspection. During the closing conference, the inspector reviewed the inspection findings with the facility <br /> representative. <br /> Site Inspection <br /> Note 1: The primary industrial activity that takes place at the site is mining gold from placer deposits with a <br /> secondary industrial activity of aggregate crushing and sorting. According to Jim Murray, High Mountain Mining <br /> has been operating at this location for a year and a half. <br /> Note 2: High Mountain Mining, LLC operates the site without a Colorado Discharge Permit System permit based <br /> on its claim that the site has no potential to discharge. <br /> Note 3: According to Greg Lewicki, environmental consultant for High Mountain Mining LLC, 90% of the site <br /> disturbance is from historic mining in the 1880's and prior to mine law including reclamation requirements. <br /> Note 4: On October 2, 2014 the division received an Environmental Incident Report from Greg Lewicki regarding <br /> the observation of increased sediment in The Middle Fork of the South Platte River in the vicinity of the Alma <br /> Placer Mine. The mine had not previously discharged to the river. The Division of Reclamation, Mining and <br /> Safety (DRMS) conducted an inspection in response to the incident on October 3, 2014 to evaluate the cause of <br /> the increased sediment in the river. The DRMS inspection determined that any discharge of sediment in to the <br /> Middle Fork of the South Platte River did not occur due to a surface breach at the mine and that the only <br /> potential source was the intake pipe near the pump house. High Mountain Mining, LLC completed Corrective <br /> Actions on October 16, 2014 to prevent any future discharges including raising the elevation of the Pond 4 <br /> overflow pipe, installed a self-closing back flow prevention gate on the overflow pipe and trained employees <br /> and subcontractor employees on the correct operation of the fresh water intake pipe and inspection processes. <br /> Alma Placer Mine Background: <br /> The pump house located on the north side of the river adjacent from the main entrance diverts surface <br /> water from the Middle Fork of the South Platte River to the main process building. Process water from the <br /> main process building is then sent to a series of three settling ponds before entering a final pond, pond 4. <br /> The first two settling ponds (Pond 1 and Pond 2) are located northwest of the process building and sit above <br /> and at a higher elevation than Pond 3 and Pond 4. The water from Pond 4 is either recirculated to the main <br /> process building or sent to a series of pre-existing shallow settling ponds on the east side of the main access <br /> road via a 12" pipe. The pre-existing shallow settling pond network is separated by earthen and compacted <br /> rock berms. Any water pumped to this network of ponds would either infiltrate into the alluvium or <br /> evaporate. The <br /> Inspection Observations: <br />