GENERAL44464

• Permit No: M1977342
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 1/25/2000
• Doc Name: RULE 8 NOTIFICATION HENDERSON MILL WATER CIRCUIT
• From: CLIMAX MOLY CO
• To: DMG
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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January 21, 2000 ,IAN ~ V 1U~U
Henderson Ooerations
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Eripire, Colorado 80438
Metro f3031 271-0107
Out of :~cace (3031 569-3221
Fax [phone]
Mc Allen Sorenson ~~ cf ,rolineral~ & Geology
Environmental Protection Specialist
Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology
1313 Sherman Street, Room 215
Denver, Colorado 80203
RE: Rule 8 Notification -Henderson Mill Process Water Circuit
Dear Mr. Sorenson:
The letter is provided as required by Rule 8 of the Colorado Division of Minerals; and
Geology (DMG). Minerals Program, Rules and Regulations. Rule 8.2.3 requires a
written report to follow-up verbal notification to the DMG regarding the failure of an
environmental protection facility (EPF). Verbal notification was made to Mr. Carl Mount
of the DMG at approximately 3:45 PM on January 19, 2000. Previous attempts to contact
you were unsuccessful. This letter serves as that report.
Although notification was required, at no point during this upset vas there any d;inger of
a major environmental impact. The 36" emergency bypass line on the mill water decant
system is equipped with a small dart valve where this line surfaces near the toe of 1 Dam.
This dart valve serves to drain the small amount of process water that seeps into this line
as it passes under the tailings impoundment. This dart valve became clogged allowing
this water to Clow out the end of the emergency bypass line into our dischazge cabal. The
flow was impeded by a large ice plug that had formed due to cold weather behind a
plywood cover at the end of the pipe. The water backed up behind this plywoodiice plug
until the recent warm weather melted the ice enough to allow water to begin spraying out
from behind the plywood. The line and canal are visually inspected at least once during
every shifr, so when the line began to leak, a pond operator saw the problem immediately
and took action. The dart valve was located and cleaned [o stop any more water from
escaping. Three temporary earthen dams were built to retain the water in the canal and
the water was then pumped back into our normal seepage collection system.
Approximately 12,700 gallons of water was pumped back into our system of which we
estimated 9,000 gallons to be process water. The remaining snow in the discharge canal
was removed and placed within containment as well. We estimate that we recaptured
close to 100% of the process water due to the dams and frozen ground conditions. Upon
investigation, no process water made it all the way down the dischazge canal and
therefore, no water left our property. We do not know of or anticipate any adverse
impacts to human health, property, or the environment from this release. It should also
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