The copper and moly Mineral Park Mine near Chloride got their aquifer protection permit from the AZ Dept. Environmental Quality. "The permit would allow the mine to expand its open pit mine, construct a froth floatation mill, change the height of the tailing piles (leftover rock from the mining process), expand its leach dumps and construct a new storm water impoundment basin," according to the Kingman Daily Miner. [right, Mineral Park Mine construction, Nov. 2008. Credit, Mercator Minerals]
The mine owner, Mercator Minerals, says,
Currently producing approximately 1 million pounds of copper a month by SX/EX leach extraction at Mineral Park, the Company is constructing a 50,000 ton per day copper and molybdenum milling operation mill facility in a two-stage expansion at Mineral Park. Average annual copper and molybdenum production over the first ten years of a 25-year mine life is expected to increase to 56.4 million pounds of copper, 10.3 million pounds of molybdenum and 600,000 ounces of silver per year.