Curis Resources, a Canadian Junior mining company is proposing an in-situ copper mine on the banks of the Gila River within the town boundaries of Florence, Arizona.
Don Steuter, the Conservation Chair of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club (and one of our steering committee members), wrote an editorial about the proposed project which appeared in the Arizona Republic today.
In-situ mining, the method Curis would like to use for this proposed mine, is a process of drilling wells into the copper deposit and intentionally polluting the ground water with sulfuric acid to dissolve the copper which would be pumped back the the surface. No commercial in-situ mine in the United States has successfully returned the groundwater back to pre-mining conditions.
The proposed mine site is mostly private land which is now zoned for residential use. Curis has asked the town of Florence to rezone the property to allow the mine. The town of Florence will make a decision this fall whether to rezone the land.
Take a look at the article at http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2011/08/28/20110828florence-con29.html.
For more information abnout the proposed mine and to find out more about why it is a bad idea, go to http://www.protectourwaterourfuture.com, a website created by Protect our Water, our Future, a new organization based in Florence.