Rosemont Copper gave this presentation on the Rosemont Reclamation Plan dated July 2007. The presentation was given to the Forest Service and their contractors during a meeting in May 2010.
2. Reclamation Standards
! Forest Service Requirements
! Arizona Mined Land
Reclamation Requirements
! Aquifer Protection Permit
Requirements
3. Forest Service Standards
“Reclamation objectives and requirements
and the resulting standards are developed
through the NEPA analysis and implemented
by inclusion in the approved POO.”
! The “standards” address the issues
! Rosemont Reclamation Plan developed to
address issues
! Applicable standards addressed
4. Forest Service Issues List
! Interim Operations ! Stability
and Maintenance ! Revegetation
! Hazmat ! Mitigation
! Demolition ! Monitoring/
! Facility Design Maintenance
! Water Quality ! Safety
! Landform ! Permitting
! Financial Assurance
5. Arizona State Requirements
! Pubic Safety Standards
! Erosion Control and Topographic Contouring
! Roads
! Revegetation
! Soil Conservation
! Financial Assurance
7. Aquifer Protection Permit
Requirements
! Closure Strategy
! Complete Closure Plan include specific
elements
! Clean Closure or Post-Closure Monitoring
Maintenance
! Financial Assurance
8. Rosemont Plan Elements
! Begin with the End in Mind
! Construct Outer Buttress
! Concurrent Reclamation
! Blend into Existing Topography
! Constrain to Barrel Canyon
! Minimize Hydrologic Disturbance
! Minimize Environmental Impacts
! Salvage Soil and Vegetation Resources
! Closure Costing
9. Forest Service
Issues
! Interim Operations and Maintenance
“Controls necessary to ensure the integrity of the facilities at
Rosemont whose failure could potential endanger human
health and the environment.”
• Facilities designed to be more robust
than regulatory requirements
• Layout keeps facilities internal to
buttresses
12. Forest Service
Issues
! Hazmat
“Isolation, removal, treatment, or control of hazardous or
toxic materials.”
• Solutions managed in appropriate
containments during operations
• Bulk chemical delivery
• At closure materials are sold or
disposed off-site
13. Hazmat Management at Closure
! Petroleum – return to vendors/sale
! Sulfuric acid – return to vendors/sale
! Leaching solutions – evaporation/sale
! Filter water – evaporation
! Blasting agents – return to contractor
! Lab wastes – disposal
! Facility/equipment mtce - disposal
14. Forest Service
Issues
! Demolition
“Removal/disposal of non-contaminated facilities, equipment
and materials (buildings, concrete foundations, etc.)”
• Constructed facilities removed
• Some necessary facilities remain in
place (i.e. culverts, ponds, diversions, etc.)
15. Forest Service
Issues
! Facility Design
“Facilities remaining have design standards so that facilities
will perform as designed over the long term to protect
human health and the environment. (i.e. covers, caps,
liners, diversions, etc.)”
• Facilities designed to meet or exceed
required standards
• Storms, stability, diversion, cover, etc.
16. Forest Service
Issues
! Water Quality
“Water quality standards (federal and state) which should be
met by project discharges.”
• Requirement to maintain groundwater
quality – APP permit
• No degredation standard for surface
water - AZPES
17. Water Quality
! Meet or exceed Arizona BADCT standards
to protect groundwater
! Liners or double liners with leak detection
! Stormwater capture to maintain quality
! No exposed process solutions/areas
! Pit contained
! Waste rock shell over all
18. Forest Service
Issues
! Landform
“Acceptable post-mining land slopes, drainages and
contours.”
• Slopes are set at 3:1 (18°)
• Dendritic (ridge and valley) pattern
• Intermittent areas to hold water - riparian
• Variable slopes covers including talus
slopes to present habitat mosaic
20. Forest Service
Issues
! Stability
“Standards for physical and chemical stability of project
components.”
• Geotechnical investigations
• Facility stability meets AZ standards
(1.5 static and 1.1 dynamic)
• Geochemical investigations
• NNP is positive (acid consuming)
21. Forest Service
Issues
! Revegetation
“Acceptable vegetative communities and ground cover
requirements.”
• Greenhouse Tests
• Reclamation Test Plots
• Agave Salvage
23. Forest Service
Issues
! Mitigation
“Mitigation compensates for damage that cannot be avioded
this involves construction techniques related to stream
channels, wildlife habitat, recreation, cultural or other
resources.”
• Planned for full development during the NEPA
process.
• Included diversions, dendritic patterns, roadway
replacement, slopes, trails, etc.
24. Forest Service
Issues
! Monitoring/Maintenance
“Reclamation protection and monitoring requirements.”
• Concurrent reclamation allows for early
management of facilities
• Water sampling required by APP
• Strategic access to facilities for repair
25. Forest Service
Issues
! Safety
“Includes all public related safety requirements including
fencing, signs, berms, adit closures, etc.”
• Fencing and signage of the open pit
• Facility removal
• Stable landform at 3:1 or flatter
26. Forest Service
Issues
! Permitting
“Forest Service responsibility to meet state or federal
requirements if forced to assume reclamation and closure
responsibilities.”
• Permits will be in place
27. Forest Service
! Financial Assurance
“The direct cost of reclamation is based upon
the details of the closure and reclamation
work outlined in the approved POO.”
• Rosemont estimated bond based on MPO
• Bids, Davis-Bacon Wage Scales, Cat
Handbook, etc. used to determine amounts
28. Financial Assurance
! Rosemont estimate
• Annual estimate for 20 year operating period as
well as closure
• Walk-away scenario as well as regular
operations scenario
• Roadways not addressed pending NEPA
determinations
• Modeled after other bonding calculations in
Arizona for the FS
29. Rosemont Documents
! Mine Plan of Operations
! Reclamation Plan
! Supplemented by:
• Geotechnical Reports
• Geochemical Reports
• Aquifer Protection Permit Application
• Facility Design Reports
• Groundwater Protection Plan
• Soil Salvage Reports
• Reclamation Concept Update
• Site Water Management Plan and Update