Third Season Of Baseline Water Quality Monitoring At Lemhi Gold Deposit

VANCOUVER - Freeman Gold Corp. has retained GSI Environmental Inc. to continue implementing Freeman's baseline water quality monitoring program at its Lemhi Gold Deposit located in Lemhi County, Idaho. The baseline water quality monitoring program includes sampling and monitoring at 12 monitoring wells and five surface water monitoring sites, with monitoring locations covering the extent of Freeman's patented claims. Eight quarters of sampling have been completed at the site over the last two years and an additional four quarters of sampling will be completed in 2024.

Baseline water quality monitoring is a critical step in the permitting and mine planning process. Water quality data will be used to establish baseline conditions for groundwater and surface water and aid in the development of the conceptual site model. These components will then be used to request a Point of Compliance (POC) Determination from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and support mine planning and development.

The POC Determination is a critical permit in the State of Idaho that outlines monitoring, sampling, and reporting requirements to ensure that mining activities do not negatively impact water quality. The POC process requires applicants to establish baseline water quality conditions for surface water and groundwater using Idaho DEQ's Statistical Guidance for Determining Background Ground Water Quality and Degradation. In order to establish background water quality at least 12 samples are required from monitoring points. These 12 samples will be completed at the end of 2024, positioning Freeman to submit a POC application in 2025 and take a significant step towards securing one of the major permits required for mine development and operations.