Tony Davis
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality approved a key permit Thursday for the Copper World Mine in the Santa Rita Mountains, saying it is aimed at insuring mine discharges don’t pollute the underlying groundwater.The permit approval leaves just one more state OK needed by Hudbay Minerals Inc. before it can start construction and eventually begin operations. The mine already received approval of its reclamation plan from the State Mine Inspector’s Office and still needs approval of an air quality permit from ADEQ.It’s a big win for Hudbay Minerals Inc., and a setback for mine opponents, who provided the majority of comments at two public meetings on the project and sent thousands of public comment letters, many of them form letters, opposing the permit to ADEQ.In a news release issued shortly after ADEQ announced its approval of the aquifer permit, Hudbay said it’s pleased with the level of local support it received at public meetings on the permit and looks forward to providing significant social and environmental benefits for the community and local economy in Arizona.
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It said the state action is a sign Copper World’s permitting process is “on track.” It hasn’t given a schedule for when it will or might start construction of or open the mine, and has declined to speculate on a possible opening date.The company expects to increase its planned capital spending for the project for 2024 to $45 million from an original estimate of $20 million.The approval closes what had been a contentious debate over ADEQ’s proposed Copper World permit, in which opponents including many people living near the mine site blasted the project’s monitoring well network, its ability to self-monitor groundwater wells for possible contamination, and the current lack of state groundwater quality standards for uranium.Thursday, ADEQ said it made five changes to the aquifer protection permit in response to comments, including the addition of two monitoring wells at the mine site to check for pollution.The permit covers a total of 16 facilities at the mine site at 9025 E. Santa Rita Road, about 12 miles south of Sahuarita and 28 miles southeast of Tucson.The facilitie …
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