There is a reason why the rural area in Central Nevada is called Mineral County, and that’s because of its abundance of mining opportunities. And with that comes the need for environmental protection and notices on the lands that those mining activities affect.
On July 13, 2023, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (the Division) issued two new Water Pollution Control permits to Quartz Lake Mining, Inc., and the Pamlico Mine Project.
The permit for Quartz Lake Mining aka the “Red Rock Mill Project” allows construction, operation, and closure of mining facilities in Mineral County and assures that public safety, health, and the water impacted by these activities will not be affected.
The Quartz Lake permit will go into effect on July 28, 2023, and any requests to appeal it must be filed by July 23 by 5 p.m. with the State Environmental Commission in Carson City.
In its public comment period, Great Basin Resource Watch (GBRW) Director John Hadder expressed some concerns which were shared and addressed in the Division’s Notice of Decision.
In his comments, Hadder was worried about the ore feed to the Red Rock Mill Project coming from the Goldfield Bonanza Mine affecting levels of AGP and ANP (acid generating and neutralizing values).
“The Baseline Hydro and Geochem Report completed by the Permittee for the Goldfield Bonanza Mine ore characterization shows several elevated constituents of concern in both ICP and MWMP testing, notably moderate sulfate, cyanide and TDS2. While the total amount of ore expected to be processed at this facility is fairly small, these constituents do leave some cause for concern,” he stated.
The Division replied that the Red Rock Mill Project is designed and operated in general accordance with current art engineering practices in Nevada Code and is consistent with other operations using similar geochemical materials.
Hadder and GBRW are also concerned about how long the storage ponds would have to be maintained and the lifetime of the pond liner material. The Division said that while there is no analysis available to show how long management of the ponds would take, the process for how the concurrent reclamation of the tailings ponds is being maintained will minimize degradation of the polyethylene material.
Concerns regarding how “appreciable water” caused by large storm events would be stored as well as inspection protocols to prevent leakage at the mine were also addressed.
To view the Red Rock Mill Project Notice in its entirety, visit https://ndep.nv.gov/posts/category/land.
The QLM Pamlico Mine Project
A Water Pollution Control Permit is also on the table for the Pamlico Mine Project, its underground mining facility located on public land about 10 miles southeast of Hawthorne. The Administrator is leaning towards issuing the new permit, and all public comments or recommended terms and conditions to be included in the permit must be received by August 12 at 5 p.m.
