Hecla Greens Creek Files Plan to Expand Tailings Disposal Facility
Hecla Greens Creek Files Plan to Expand Tailings Disposal Facility
n Avoids the need to construct a new, remote tailings- disposal facility n Continues the same or similar dry-stack tailings- disposal method, which has been previously reviewed and approved by the U.S. Forest Service n Extends the existing tailings stack in a manner that minimizes disturbance. To the extent practical, it locates the extended tailings stack and new, associated, supporting infrastructure on areas already disturbed and/
community needs during the COVID-19 crisis. Greens Creek Mine is located on Admiralty Island, approximately 18 miles south of Juneau. It produces silver, zinc, lead and gold. The mine is 100 percent owned and operated by Hecla Mining Company. Last year, it produced 9,890,125 ounces of silver, 56,625 ounces of gold, 20,112 tons of lead and 56,805 tons of zinc. The formal scoping period will continue through Nov. 23.
or on areas immediately adjacent to existing disturbance. Where possible, the company plans to use in-place infrastructure, such as roads, water- treatment facilities and drainage control. n Minimizes direct, new disturbance to environmental resources and sensitive habitats, such as jurisdictional waters of the U.S.
n Considers future closure and reclamation as part of design and operations
n Designs and constructs the TDF to be technically feasible and environmentally sound Greens Creek has used a dry-stack tailings disposal technique from its beginning in 1988. Dry stacking eliminates the need for embankment and a slurry pond and reduced the initial tailings footprint. The mine requested TDF expansions in 2001 and 2010 as exploration activity identified additional resources. In both cases, the U.S. Forest Service employed the NEPA process to review the extensions, and in both cases, determined the existing site continued to be the appropriate and most environmentally sensitive place for TDF expansion. Greens Creek is a major economic and philanthropic pillar in Southeast Alaska. It is Juneau’s largest taxpayer and largest private-sector employer. It helps support more than 50 nonprofits in the Juneau area, including the Pathways to Mining program at the University of Alaska Southeast. Recently, Hecla Mining Company, through its Charitable Foundation, committed up to $125,000 in financial assistance to support
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Usibelli Coal Mine produces more than one million tons of coal every year, helping energize Interior Alaska. Yet our most precious resource isn’t coal—it’s the people who mine it. We’ve worked hard to keep our employees safe, and the results are gratifying.
Employees surpassed their all- time safety record in April 2019 and by the end of the year, worked more than 1,000 days without a lost time accident. Our employees are committed to excellence in mining, and in practicing everyday safety—at work, at home and at play.
Photo Courtesy Hecla Greens Creek
JUNEAU — Hecla Greens Creek mine has filed an amendment to its General Plan of Operations to expand its Tailing Disposal Facility (TDF) by approximately 13.7 acres. The expansion is primarily inside the existing U.S. Forest Service lease area and will allow mine operations to continue past 2031, when the current facility is expected be full. “This amendment culminates years of careful planning to develop a plan that minimizes impacts on Admiralty Island National Monument and the fish-bearing sections of Tributary Creek,” said Greens Creek VP and General Manager Brian Erickson. “We believe our proposed plan maximizes disposal volume and minimizes new disturbance.”
The filing sets off a formal process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which begins with publication of a notice of intent (NOI) in the Federal Register. The NOI describes the proposed scoping process, including meetings and how the public can get involved, along with consultations with tribes. Hecla’s proposed plan: n Avoids new Monument disturbance outside the existing U.S. Forest Service-approved Greens Creek Lease Boundary n Avoids direct disturbance to fish-bearing reaches of Tributary Creek
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November 2020 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I November 2020
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