Mine plans a surprise to officials
20-year project proposed at site in Yavapai County
CHINO VALLEY — Yavapai County residents in a rural area between Chino Valley and Paulden are looking for answers after they received notice that the Arizona State Mine Inspector’s Office is considering a reclamation plan for an aggregate mine that they said they had no idea was moving in next door.
“How does a mine end up in a residential area?” asked Barbara Logsdon, one of the more than 100 residents who live in the neighborhood around the mine site.
When some residents reached out to their elected officials for more information, they soon learned that as leaders spanning the town, county and state level, they too were unaware of the proposed operation.
Chino Valley Councilmember Annie Perkins said she learned of the reclamation plan through Facebook and passed along the information to Yavapai County District 4 Supervisor Craig Brown, who said he hadn’t yet heard of the project.
The area’s state Reps. Selina Bliss and Quang Nguyen attended a meeting in Paulden on Tuesday night where more than 100 people packed into the community center seeking answers that, at that point, no one seemed to have.
“We were just made aware of this two days ago,” Bliss told the crowd, so they didn’t have very many answers to provide.
Here’s what we know so far
The aggregate mining operation is proposed by Salome-based Rock Supply LLC, which was established in February 2022, according to the Arizona Corporation Commission filing.
The company filed the reclamation plan proposal with the State Mine Inspector’s Office in February 2023. The plan specifies that it estimates the removal of approximately 616,330 cubic yards of aggregate over the 20-year operation on a 25.2-acre parcel that it owns in the Cedar Heights neighborhood.
But there does not yet appear to be an official listing or identification number associated with this site through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, which is required of all surface and underground mines across the country.
State Mine Inspector Paul D. Marsh is holding a public meeting on Sept. 21 where he will review the submitted reclamation plan for the land after the mine ceases operation in two decades.
Importantly, Marsh’s office is not in charge of permit approval or regulations for the mine while it is in operation, such as for noise, dust and more. The final approval is likely to fall under the local jurisdiction, which in this case would be Yavapai County.
“How did we get to the point where we’re talking about reclamation and nobody knows that this is even happening?” Logsdon asked.
What we don’t know
The specific timeline of this project remains unclear. In the reclamation plan proposal, the mine operator stated that “mining operations will begin immediately upon plan approval in 2023 and are anticipated to continue through approximately 2043.”
But it doesn’t appear that the operation has gotten any further approval from local jurisdictions, especially considering the area’s county supervisor was unaware of the plan until recently.
The Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission also appears not to have considered the mine yet as none of its agendas include the project stretching back to when Rock Supply LLC was first established last year. The commissioners were all out of the office this week and were not available to comment in time for publication.
The potential impact on nearby properties and the environment are two of the biggest concerns for residents.
When Susi and Danny Brumett moved to the neighborhood in 2020 to retire, they did so mainly for the peace and quiet in the neighborhood in addition to the wildlife, they said. When they first bought their land, they said they were never told that the adjacent property could become an active mine.
Now, they have learned from the maps submitted with the reclamation plan that the proposed processing plant is slated to go up less than 250 feet from their house.
“We’re beside ourselves because it’s basically like we’re screwed because we can’t even sell our property,” Susi Brumett said. “Because who would want a property right next to a mine?”
It’s still unclear if any impact studies or analyses have been conducted in anticipation of the project. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality said it did not have any records related to the site including any environmental impact studies as of last week.
Residents point to noise, dust, lighting and heavy traffic on their privately maintained dirt roads as just a few of the major concerns that they say need to be looked into before any mining can begin. Many residents in the area also use wells for their water and are worried that the mine’s operation will either lower the existing water table or otherwise contaminate the water supply.
“I feel like they slipped in and put a mine site next to my house,” said Logsdon, who can see the proposed site from her property.
She also made a point to say that her family supports mining — her husband, Dan, has worked in the industry for three decades — but it needs to be done responsibly, the family said.
“That’s a heavily regulated industry for a reason, because of the impact that it has on the environment, on people,” she said.
The state mine inspector’s public meeting on the proposed reclamation plan is scheduled for Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. in the Glassford Hill Room at 7401 E. Skoog Blvd. in Prescott Valley. Comments specifically regarding the reclamation plan must be submitted to the State Mine Inspector’s Office, either by phone or delivered in person, by 5 p.m. the day prior to the meeting. Find contact information at the state mine inspector’s website.