Californi a Gulc h Superfun d Sit e Apach e Tailin g Impoundmen t Publi c Meetin g Januar y 25
, 200 0 O n Tuesda y Januar y 25
, 2000
, the Environmenta l Protectio n Agenc y (EPA ) hoste d a publi c meetin g t o presen t th e Propose d Pla n fo r th e Apach e Tailin g Impoundmen t a t Operabl e Uni t 7 o f th e Californi a Gulc h Superfun d Site

. Th e meetin g wa s hel d a t 7p m i n th e Minin g Hal l o f Fam e i n Leadville

, Colorado

. Th e publi c commen t period

, originall y schedule d t o expir e o n Februar y 25,2000
, wa s extende d upo n reques t throug h Marc h 27

, 2000

. Rebecc a Thoma s (EPA ) an d Bob Litl e (ASARCO ) bega n the meetin g wit h som e introductor y remarks

. EP A explaine d tha t a n alternat e reprocessin g proposal

, no t include d i n th e propose d plan

, migh t b e submitte d b y MTAA

, the curren t owne r o f the majorit y o f the Apach e property
, fo r commen t prio r t o th e clos e o f th e publi c commen t period

. Dary l Longwel l (MFG

, representin g ASARCO ) presente d th e alternative s unde r consideratio n t o remediat e th e Apach e Impoundment

. Th e alternative s include :
1

- N o Actio n 2A

- Simpl e Soi l Cove r 2 B

- 2 A + Groundwate r Control s 2 C

- 2 A + Alternat e Channe l Alignmen t 3 A

- Soil Cove r wit h Geosyntheti c Barrie r 3 B

- 3 A + Groundwate r Control s 3 C

- 3 A + Alternat e Channe l Alignmen t 4A

- Removal/On-Sit e Consolidatio n 4 B

- Removal/Placemen t i n Repositor y EPA' s preferre d alternativ e i s 3 A

- Soil Cove r wit h Geosyntheti c Barrier

. Se e th e attache d Presentatio n Packet fo r a complet e summar y o f ASARCO' s presentation

. Public Comments : A numbe r o f comment s wer e receive d durin g th e meeting
, a s summarize d below

. Thes e comment s an d an y othe r comment s submitte d durin g th e publi c commen t period

, an d response s t o thos e comments
, wil l b e include d i n a Responsivenes s Summary

. 1 ) I s th e MTA A proposa l wort h commentin g on ? (Commissione r Martin ) Response : W e hav e no t receive d a n officia l proposa l fro m MTAA

. The y mus t submi t thei r proposa l durin g th e publi c commen t perio d i f i t i s t o b e considered

. I f a viabl e alternativ e i s presented

, another publi c meetin g wil l b e hel d t o allo w commen t o n th e proposal

.2 ) Wha t i s th e conversio n facto r fo r yard s t o tons ? (Commissione r Martin ) Response : 1^- 2 ton s pe r yar d

3 ) Wha t abou t the GA W an d Valentin e shaft s whic h ar e actin g lik e artesia n well s - the groundwate r leve l i s u p 3 0 fee t sinc e 1992

. Thes e shaft s coul d b e connecte d t o th e Leadvill e Min e Drainag e Tunne l throug h faults

. Wate r qualit y fro m thes e shaft s i s good

. I f groundwate r continue s t o rise
, coul d i t creat e a sourc e o f contaminatio n a t Apache ? (Commissione r Martin ) Response : Th e issue s associate d wit h risin g groundwate r level s an d sprin g discharg e ar e addresse d i n th e Sit e Characterizatio n sectio n o f th e FFS

, an d i t wa s conclude d tha t i t i s unlikel y tha t a futur e ris e i n groundwate r level s woul d impac t th e preferre d remed y fo r th e Apach e Impounmdents

. Th e Valentin e shaf t i s outsid e th e are a whic h ha s bee n observe d t o b e affecte d b y th e risin g groundwate r level s i n th e vicinit y o f th e Ga w shaft

. Groundwate r level s i n th e vicinit y o f Apach e peake d severa l year s ag o an d ar e no w actuall y trendin g downward

, an d groundwate r level s beneat h th e impoundmen t (monitore d sinc e 1997 ) d o no t appea r t o b e affecte d b y fluctuation s i n th e dee p aquife r o r throug h the faul t system s upgradien t o f Apach e a s evidence d b y flo w variation s at the Ga w shaft

. Eve n i f groundwate r level s wer e t o ris e again
, th e risin g wate r tabl e woul d b e limite d b y sprin g discharg e a t th e groun d surfac e o r woul d flo w throug h th e mor e permeabl e soi l beneat h th e tailin g rathe r tha n impac t th e relativel y lo w permeabilit y tailin g
a t th e bas e o f th e impoundment

. 4 ) Wha t abou t possibl e spring s under th e tailin g impoundment ? (Commissione r Martin ) Response : I t i s unlikel y tha t an y wate r fro m beneat h the tailing

, eithe r fro m a sprin g o r risin g groundwater

, woul d impac t th e impoundment

. Th e tailin g i s fine r grai n wit h a lower permeability

, s o wate r woul d follo w a pat h o f leas t resistance
, flowin g horizontall y beneat h the impoundmen t throug h the mor e permeabl e alluvia l materials

. Additionally

, a s determine d throug h th e additiona l evaluation s conducte d ove r th e las t yea r an d iscusse d i n th e FFS

, th e oxid e tailin g tha t compris e th e lowe r 2 0 t o 3 0 fee t o f th e impoundmen t d o
no t readil y leac h metal s an d are no t a significan t sourc e o f metal s loadin g t o groundwater

. 5 ) Ho w muc h woul d groundwate r hav e t o ris e befor e i t become s a problem ? (Bo b Elder ) Response : It' s unlikel y tha t th e wate r level s nea r th e impoundmen t wil l ris e abov e th e level s observed durin g 199 6 an d 199 7

. Groundwate r woul d nee d t o ris e another 20-3 0 feet

, whic h i s abov e the groun d surface

, t o com e int o contac t wit h the sulfid e tailing

. 6 ) Wouldn' t risin g wate r contac t th e sulfid e tailing ? (Mayo r Gaede ) Response : No

, eve n i f groundwate r ros e again
, i t woul d eithe r discharg e a t th e groun d surfac e adjacen t t o th e impoundmen t o r flo w horizontall y throug h th e mor e permeabl e alluvia l material s beneat h th e impoundment

, followin g th e pat h o f leas t resistance

.7 ) Wha t abou t Star r Ditch ? (DanLarkin ) Response : EP A wil l configur e Star r Ditc h thi s summe r t o ensur e that i t ca n manag e sprin g runof f and summe r stor m events

. Various alignment option s wil l b e considered

. 8 ) Wil l yo u us e loca l contractors ? (Joh n McCarty ) Response : Loca l contractor s wil l b e invite d t o bi d o n thi s work

. 9 ) Wil l Apach e end u p lik e th e "weddin g cakes " i n Stray Hors e Gulch

- wil l ther e b e an y futur e land use s possible ? (Da n Larkin ) Response : The impoundmen t i s locate d o n privat e property

. Futur e lan d us e woul d b e u p t o th e owner , consisten t wit h loca l zoning
, an d subjec t t o control s t o maintai n th e protectivenes s o f th e remed y an d containmen t o f th e tailing

. Th e propose d remed y won' t significantl y increas e th e overal l heigh t o f th e impoundmen t and th e sid e slope s wil l b e gradual

. Ther e ar e a numbe r o f option s fo r fina l grad e o f th e impoundment

. 10 ) Wha t abou t futur e uses ? (Mayo r Gaede ) Response : Institutiona l control s wil l b e place d o n th e propert y t o ensur e tha t th e ca p i s no t impacte d b y an y futur e use

. Futur e use s ar e possibl e a s lon g a s th e intende d us e maintaine d th e integrit y o f th e remedy

. (Als o se e respons e t o previou s comment )

1 1 ) Wha t abou t th e MTA A proposal ? (Roge r Peterson ) Response : W e kno w tha t MTA A prefer s a reprocessin g alternative

, althoug h we hav e not ye t see n a n officia l proposa l fro m them

. 12 ) An y reprocessin g alternativ e woul d g o broke

. (Commissione r Martin ) Response : Commen t noted

. 1 3 ) What' s th e cos t differenc e betwee n cappin g an d removal ? Ho w difficul t i s i t t o mov e th e tailing ? (Roge r Peterson ) Response : Th e capita l cos t fo r EPA' s preferre d alternative

, soi l cove r wit h geosyntheti c barrier

, i s estimate d t o b e $4,078,000

. The capita l cos t fo r remova l option s rang e fro m $11,204,00 0 t o $12,491,000

, dependin g on locatio n o f th e wast e repository

. Ther e are problem s associate d wit h movin g the tailin g sinc e the y ar e saturate d and difficul t t o contain

.14 ) Wha t abou t creatin g a slurr y fro m th e tailin g an d transportin g i t i n a pipe ? (Bo b Elder ) Response : Transportatio n ma y no t b e a s potentiall y detrimenta l a s trucking

, bu t i t woul d stil l b e a n engineerin g challenge

, creatin g difficul t wate r suppl y an d wate r treatmen t issue s
a s wel l a s necessitatin g th e constructio n o f a slurryin g plant

. 15 ) A fe w comment s regardin g reprocessin g a s a n alternative

. (Bo b Litle

, ASARCO ) I n 1996
, ASARC O publicl y requeste d proposal s t o reproces s th e Apach e Tailin g materia l

a s a n option

. Several firm s expresse d interes t an d obtaine d samples

, howeve r ASARC O receive d n o proposals

. Base d o n thi s lac k o f respons e an d informatio n availabl e t o ASARCO

, w e hav e determine d tha t th e recover y o f bas e and/o r precious metal s fro m th e tailin g usin g a flotatio n proces s i s no t economicall y viable

. Concernin g us e o f th e Blac k Clou d Mil l t o reproces s Apach e tailing

, ASARC O note d that the y mus t b e responsibl e t o thei r shareholder s an d woul d b e reluctan t t o comingl e wast e fro m a Superfun d Sit e wit h th e Blac k Clou d Mine

. Response : Comment s noted

. 16 ) Mor e comment s regardin g reprocessin g a s a n alternative

. (Bo b Elder ) ASARC O woul d hav e mad e pyritic concentrat e fro m th e Apach e tailin g i f i t wa s feasible

. Th e Apach e Mil l created problem s wit h Tailin g Pond s # 2 an d # 3 whe n the y wer e attemptin g t o reproces s th e tailin g fo r pyrite

. Response : Comment s noted

.

## Attendee s
Nam e Dary l Longwel l Bo b Litl e Roge r Peterso n Myrna Windorsk i J im McEacher a Mr

. an d Mrs

. Donal d E

. Grig g Mar k Rudolp h Ric k River

, Jr

. Joh n McCart y Jef f Dic k Gar y Slifk a Bob Elde r J i m Morriso n J i m Marti n Charli e O'Lear y T o m Cherrier S a m McGeorg e Scot t Haislet t Lis a Sigle r Mik e Holme s Rebecc a Thoma s Gre g Davi s Da n Larki n Am y Morriso n Che t Gaed e Winsto n Nobl e Affiliatio n

MFG

, representin g ASARC O ASARC O Leadvill e Chronicl e Lak e Count y Residen t Representin g MTA A CDPH E Resurrectio n Intereste d Part y Heral d Democra t ASARC O Intereste d Part y Count y Commissione r Count y Commissione r Count y Commissione r ASARC O ASARC O ASARC O EP A EP A MFG

, representin g ASARC O Lake Count y MFG

, representin g ASARC O Mayo r o f Leadvill e