Information Center


Information Type FAQs

How will water be protected?

We take protecting all the water resources seriously. Sandfire’s professionals chose the tunnel entry location specifically because it is almost 200 feet above the water level. In order to keep water from leaving the mine and mixing with creek water, all planned openings or entry points to the mine (including air ventilation and escape routes) are located far above the water table. Sandfire’s professionals chose the tunnel entry location specifically because it is almost 200 feet above the water level.

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What water tributaries are in the immediate area?

The principal stream near the mine is Sheep Creek. To protect Sheep Creek, the Company will place the mill facility and cemented tailings impoundment one mile south of Sheep Creek. A tiny streamlet, Coon Creek, lies between the facility and Sheep Creek. A branch of Little Sheep Creek lies east of the surface facility but in a different sub-tributary drainage. Our top priority is protecting all water sources.

How far is the Smith River from the Project?

The Smith River is 19 stream miles from the confluence of Sheep Creek and the Smith River. To protect all water resources, the cemented tailings facility will be located one mile off Sheep Creek, and all facilities including the tunnel opening will be located out of the valley, in a saddle of Sawmill Hill. Sandfire purposely chose this distant location to ensure a superior job of environmental management for the mine site and for protection of all local waterways.

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How will tailings be managed on surface?

To protect our valuable water resources and the environment, Sandfire has designed a Cemented Tailings Facility (CTF) that improves on established practices by allowing for a solid, dust free facility. After filtering and squeezing out most of the water, tailings mixed with cement will be permanently stored in a 100 mil High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) double lined facility in a non-flowable state. There will be a pump back system placed in the bottom of the facility so that the small amount of water squeezed from the tailings as it sets up as well as any precipitation occurring on the facility is pumped into a double lined process water pond.

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What method of mining will be used underground?

The mining method contemplated in the PEA is called both “cut and fill” or “drift and fill”, which means that part of the deposit will be mined out (cut) and paste backfill non-mineralized rock will be placed in that opening (fill). This greatly reduces the amount of tailings that are stored at surface level as approximately half of the tailings will be placed back underground as paste backfill. Sandfire is evaluating various scenarios to minimize the amount of tailings to be stored at surface.

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What Other Minerals Might Be Mined?

Besides copper, the Johnny Lee deposit hosts important quantities of both cobalt and silver. Further metallurgical testing will determine whether we can recover these economically. There is a small amount of gold in the Johnny Lee lower zone, but not enough to be economically viable.

Are you going to hire local whenever possible?

Yes, local hires are critical in ensuring a stable work force and supporting our local economy. It is important to maximize our local/regional hires. We plan to have local Mine Safety and Health Act (MSHA) trainings and other job trainings that will help the work force prepare for job opportunities.