NDEP to host public meeting to provide project status update on Anaconda copper mine site cleanup

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection is hosting a public meeting to share updates on Anaconda Copper Mine Site cleanup activities. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the City of Yerington, Public Works Building (Building B), located at 14 East Goldfield Avenue (known locally as Joe Parr Way).

Re-grading and capping closure work comprising 360 acres of the Arimetco Heap Leach Pads and affected peripheral areas was completed in September 2022, in addition to construction of five new ponds for the containment and storage of HLP drain down fluid completed in August 2020. These actions comprise the bulk of the Phase 1 cleanup work at Anaconda.

The next phase of site cleanup encompasses the northern operable units, which include the former ACMS evaporation ponds, processing area, tailings piles, Wabuska Drain, and site-wide groundwater. Final evaluations of potential risk to human health and the environment are expected to be completed by mid-year 2023, and the subsequent draft feasibility study (FS) is expected to be submitted during the first half of 2024. The FS, which evaluates cleanup options, will inform the choice of a CERCLA-protective, holistic, and comprehensive cleanup remedy for these areas under ROD 2 (slated for 2025).

Anaconda site cleanup construction activities are currently on track to be complete by 2029, with necessary operation, maintenance, and monitoring activities continuing thereafter. For more information about the Anaconda Copper Mine Site cleanup project, please visit https://ndep.nv.gov/land/abandoned-mine-lands/anaconda-home. A meeting agenda and informational bulletin will be posted one week prior to the public meeting. Copies of the agenda and bulletin will also be available at the public meeting on Dec. 15.