Kerr Mines receives aquifer protection permit

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has issued an approval for the modification of the existing aquifer protection permit (APP) for the company’s Copperstone Gold Mine. This event allows for enhanced mine operations and will further optimise the Copperstone Mine.

The positive implications of the permit modification are evident in the new enhancements for the mine. The modification will authorise the use of cyanide for recovery of gold from Copperstone ore using captive steel tanks located in the ore processing facility, allow for the storage of stabilised tailings produced from the ore processing facility at the Copperstone Mine and permit the construction and use of a water evaporation and infiltration basin to be used to recirculate back into the underground mine any un-used water produced from underground mine water management activities. The APP modification was initiated in early 2018 with the formal modification package submitted in December 2018 and culminated with an effective date set for September 18th, 2019.

The attainment of the modified APP is a part of the strategic value-enhancing process designed to enable the restart of the Copperstone Gold Mine under improved operating conditions. The process involves modifying two existing ADEQ environmental permits and modifying the Federal Bureau of Land Management Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) The modification for the ADEQ permit governing air was received in December 2018 and the modification to the MPO is expected to be received in Q4-2109. All other permits required for mine operations and gold production are in hand and do not require further modification.

In aggregate, the modifications of the three existing permits allow for an increase of gold ore production from the current allowable limit of 450 tpd - 600 tpd, the use of cyanide for gold recovery and the deposition of water produced from mine water management activities to an onsite infiltration and evaporation basin.

Giulio Bonifacio, CEO stated: “We would like to thank the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, along with our team of consultants, that worked diligently over the past year to modify our existing permit package to enhance the conditions for operational expansion and increase our production throughput to be in alignment with our economic business objectives. As we continue to add value to the Copperstone Mine, we look forward to concluding the permit modification strategy by receiving the modified MPO in Q4.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/20092019/kerr-mines-receives-aquifer-protection-permit/