Residents blast Rosemont plan

© Sahuarita Sun

A proposed copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains took a verbal beating Saturday from residents of Sahuarita, Green Valley, Vail, Tucson, Corona de Tucson and the Highway 83 area.

The Forest Service hearing in Sahuarita was the first in the local area on the Rosemont Copper mine proposed by Augusta Resource, a company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C. More than 50 people spoke out of about 200 who attended.

Several speakers complained that the Forest Service hearing process was moving too quickly and the agency had not required Augusta to file all relevant documents in time to allow for informed citizen comment.

Nearly all speakers were opposed, with many citing impacts on the declining water table and tourism.

Augusta official Jamie Sturgess said that the copper mine would provide jobs with an average salary of $60,000 a year for 19 years, but speakers said that average includes executive salaries.

Critics asserted the environmental damage from an open-pit copper mine, and resulting impacts on tourism and the local quality of life, would last for decades beyond that time. Some said possible negative impacts may not be known for years.

Augusta Resource has filed plans to use 5,000 acre-feet a year of groundwater from wells in Sahuarita Heights. Critics said the mine’s water use could contribute to depletion of the aquifer on the west side of the mountain range, including subsidence that would not occur for decades, and that the plan to store tailings on the mountain range could lead to poisoning of the water table on the east side.

Paul Stapleton-Smith of Sahuarita urged the Forest Service to extend its time frame for considering comments “until all studies have been completed and made available to the public. The company says it will be 18 to 24 months on the hydro-geological study. That has to be considered.”

The Forest Service will hold another hearing on June 30 at Rincon High School in Tucson and will continue taking comments after the official comment period ends July 14, a spokeswoman announced at the meeting. Comments can be given in several formats and information is available on the Web site of the Coronado National Forest.

The Forest Service timeline on assessing the Rosemont project is to create a draft Environmental Impact Statement by March 2009, allow at least 45 days for public review and produce a final EIS in November 2009.

The Forest Service Web page is www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/rosemont.

Corona de Tucson Fire Chief Bruce Whitehouse asserted that Highway 83, the main route into the mine, would suffer greatly from the increased traffic and that heavy mine trucks using the narrow, winding road would cause additional accidents along a stretch already known as Dead Man’s Curve and would strain the resources of the Corona de Tucson Fire Department.

High school student Mylan Webb noted that her Vail area already suffers from numerous abandoned mine shafts and a variety of other problems, but may soon get a front-row view of an open-pit copper mine, possibly before it gets its first public library or community center.

“We will have trucks on the highway, dust, water (issues). Our area is the most affected,” Webb said.

Critics said much of the copper that would be produced if the mine is approved would go to Asia and not the United States, an assertion that was not disputed by Sturgess, who said, “products will be made for America even if the copper goes to China.”

Sturgess said the mine also would produce silver and molybdenum.

Charlotte Herdliska said, “I urge the Forest Service to consider the big picture: a few jobs for a few years at what price? How long will it be before the tailings are leaching contamination into the groundwater long after the mining is gone. The heavy traffic on Scenic Highway 83 — can Pima County taxpayers afford to maintain that?”

Dan Meyer of Green Valley said, “I think the environmental damage will far exceed the value of the (copper) — most of these economic enterprises depend on profit from the use of free goods — clean air, water…and public lands.”

Sturgess said, “We’re going to listen to suggestions” and said comments already have affected the planned placement of the plant, mill and water facilities. He also said that on Friday, he signed an agreement with more than 50 well owners to replace their wells and pumps in the event that Augusta’s groundwater pumping causes a drop in the water table in the Sahuarita Heights area.

Vail resident Grace Bee, wife of state Senate President Tim Bee, R-Tucson, said “my main concern is the negative impact this operation would have on our local residents and tourist economy due to noise and water pollution and increased truck traffic on our local highways” and cited a number of other concerns.

Nancy Freeman of the Groundwater Awareness League, disputed Augusta’s claim that it will recharge the aquifer with Central Arizona Project (CAP) water, saying the drought will reduce CAP water levels and might end that water supply by 2011.

“The truth is they (would be) using excess credit CAP water, which is only available on a yearly contract. it will not be available forever, certainly not for 20 years,” Freeman said.

Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll blasted the Forest Service for holding its only hearing in the Green Valley area in June, when winter visitors are gone, saying there would be 3,000 people in attendance if the hearing were held in season.

Chet Davis, an official of the Green Valley Community Coordinating Council said, “I’d like to see that all agreements between the Forest Service and Augusta Resource apply to Augusta only and do not inure to any other entity by reason of sale or transfer.

In other words, the right to the mine does not go into a third or fourth party.

Dave Tenpenny of Vail, said the effects of open-pit mining mean “the economy from tourism and sightseeing will spiral downward. Augusta’s plan to recharge with CAP water is flawed.

“We all know we are in a drought. The Colorado River serves CAP, but CAP is not a constant given, recharge could stop and the supplies would be in peril. How the Coronado National Forest could think of putting our drinking water supply in jeopardy just slays me.”