Arizona’s best-kept secret is an impending mining catastrophe in the Patagonia Mountains. Australian owner South 32 touted it as the largest economic development project in Santa Cruz County history, but it would cost a fortune.

They include:

• Dewatering the Patagonian mountains at excessive speed 6 million gallons of water per day It would cause metal contamination along Hershaw Creek, which is the only source of drinking water for the town and feeds the aquifer of Sonoita Creek, a nature reserve further downstream.

• End of Dangerous Roads Across Patagonia-Sonoita Region 190 heavy duty trucks with concentrate are moved daily Travel up and down scenic roads SR82 and SR83, heading north through Sonoita’s four corners to an unnamed terminal along Interstate 10 east of Tucson.

• New mining roads and elevated high-voltage power line corridors to open national forest public lands along Flux Canyon south of town, a unique wildlife habitat from the Santa Cruz River Valley near Rio Rico to the mines. There are scars that are easily eroded all over. .

Compare this kind of “progress” to the new economy that has been diligently built in the Greater Patagonia-Sonoita region over the past 40-plus years after the last mining disaster, which left a hollow for mining companies that went bankrupt in the 1970s. let’s see. After the local economy. Its “legacy” left behind huge toxic waste piles and mine tailings that still leak dangerous pollutants into local watersheds every day.

threat of water

As it stands, rainfall carries soil and sediment downstream through Hershaw Creek, thereby leaching residual toxic metal compounds from the air-exposed mineralized material. Added to this is the ‘controlled flood’ that Australia-based South 32 is planning for Hershaw Creek to extract minerals from deep mines.

This intermittent creek joins the Sonoita Creek watershed, feeding the town’s drinking water wells, nature reserves, Patagonia Lakes State Park, and eventually the Santa Cruz River watershed, which flows north through Green Valley and Tucson. and keep in mind that you are charging the aquifer. Hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses.

The phenomenon of “metal fluidization” in this field has been extensively studied by researchers. U.S. Geological Survey For more than 20 years, we have documented the accumulation of toxic metals in soils and vegetation throughout the Patagonian Mountains. The man-made “flood” proposed by South 32 is very likely to cause severe flooding through delicate waterways.

An aquifer protection permit already granted by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will allow South 32 to add metals that are already in the food chain of species. This has been widely reported in one paper. 2012 paper by academics at the University of Arizonaenhanced by contributions from USGS scientists.

South 32 did not refer to this public information as a “site-specific element” in its original application for permission to ADEQ. South 32 instead presented modeling data from an outside contractor. The permit was granted on appeal to the Administrative Law Judge of the State Water Quality Appeals Board, but that decision is currently on appeal in the Maricopa County Superior Court.

Say goodbye to scenic state highways

So far, South 32 has only caused confusion over the routes by which mine concentrates and related process chemicals are transported to and from the mine site. Hershaw Road, an ‘improved’ dirt road, will carry heavy trucks northwest from the Hermosa Mine to a new road running across the new ‘park’ to SR82. South 32 purchased the land and persuaded the Santa Cruz County regulator to accept it as a park with his 30-year easement back to South 32 for all truck traffic. The Arizona Department of Transportation is now ready to decide on requests to enter and exit his SR82 from Route 32 South.

South 32 concentrate trucks travel around the clock on SR82 to all four corners of Sonoita adjacent to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, then north on SR83 through the eastern side of the Santa Rita Mountains to the state. Go to Interstate 10. Watch out for anyone stuck behind slow-moving trucks for dozens of miles on winding roads that are for good reason designated as “scenic” and “not recommended for truck traffic” by ADOT .

South 32 also promises to build a permanent route south of the Patagonia Mountains through Flax Canyon. How will this civil engineering marvel be completed…and when will it be completed? Where will the trucks loaded with concentrate go? Via the Port of Nogales to a transit port on Mexico’s Pacific coast, or take the detour to Tucson on Interstate 19?

How are explosives, toxic mining concentrates, and other hazardous materials safely transported? also indicate that lack of regulation and enforcement can increasingly lead to serious public health disasters.

basic mineral economics

South 32, as it has publicly admitted, is rushing to complete a “pre-feasibility study” this year to raise the billions of dollars it needs to invest.

Consider that the USGS designated the United States as a net exporter of zinc ore and concentrates in its 2023 Mineral Commodity Overview, but relies on imports for 76 percent of refined zinc metal.

This reality is attributed to the enormous production capacity of the Canadian-owned Red Dog mine in Alaska. This mine uses its own smelter located in Canada. For South 32, it would be far more accurate to identify a shortage of US smelters than ore-producing mines. Participants in FAST-41 institutions should take special note of this and understand that the metals they need are and will be available from Canada thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement.

So South 32’s Hermosa mine in the Patagonia Mountains is not only redundant, it is also economically uncompetitive. South 32 has not proven to be as competitive as the Red Dog Mine, where much higher grade ore is mined in open pits rather than deep tunnels within the Hermosa Mine site. Red Dog also uses driveways and harbors to transport toxic concentrates.

And with batteries emerging as the primary method of powering electricity from fossil fuels, South 32 has cleverly switched its focus to manganese extraction, producing high-quality, battery-grade manganese. Also note that it claims that

Extensive purification is usually required before obtaining battery-grade manganese, called high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate. South 32 has now announced plans to begin HPMSM production “somewhere” in Santa Cruz County, further exacerbating the problems of chemical transport and already depleting groundwater.

Recognizing the need to become more independent from China, a major producer of HPMSM, several new production facilities around the world, in particular producing much more desirable high-grade carbonate ores such as those in China has been started near a large manganese mine. Near New Brunswick, Canada. Again, free trade agreements have already been in place for decades, so there is no need to start non-competitive mining anywhere in the United States.

Last but not least, as Tesla has already demonstrated with its manganese-free iron phosphate-based lithium battery, innovation is moving at a very fast pace, and what we need today, we need tomorrow. It may be gone.

Then there’s the magic manganese

South 32 wants to make a name for itself in manganese…Let’s do this video Discuss the health effects of manganese and its effects on humans. And for side reading, washington post This article considers medical effects.

A new way forward

Also called the “nature-based restoration economy,” this new economy that has been built combines a wave of ranchers, wine producers, and new restaurant and lodging operators. The city is supported by tourism income from hunters, bird watchers, trail bikers, hikers and campers, art lovers and retirees.

The University of Arizona documents the benefits of this new economy. Santa Cruz County’s GDP is $53.7 million annually. Over 1,200 jobs. Business revenue of $121.7 million. And state and local tax revenues are nearly $5 million. This is a harmless economy.

hold the government accountable

Don’t be fooled by claims that the South 32 project can’t be stopped because it’s on so-called patented (private property).

Only with increased public awareness and public pressure can this large and risky project be considered in full light, especially as the rapid review process of the FAST-41 process unfolds. is.

Contact both federal and state officials now and urge them to be vigilant and upfront. Use every tool of government to consider and act in the public interest.