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Pima County officials have told Asarco it must explain by Jan. 27 how it will prevent future dust violations at the Mission Mine complex after denying the mine's request for a 30-day delay.

The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality on Dec. 23 issued Asarco a violation notice for a Nov. 12 dust storm and on Dec. 31 issued another for a similar Dec. 22 incident that covered much of Rancho Resort in gray dust.

The problems occurred during construction work to increase the height of the mound of tailings, a powdery residue left by the mining process. The top of the mound was left dry and high winds whipped up dust.

Each county notice required a response within 30 days that would explain what corrective action would be taken.

On Friday, S. Scott Porter, enforcement manager for Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, sent a letter to Asarco's Senior Environmental Manager Arturo Burgos at the Mission Complex saying, "due to the seriousness of the violations and PDEQ's duty to address the regulatory compliance-related issues as expeditiously as possible, your request is denied."

That means Asarco must explain by Jan. 27 what corrective action it will take for the Nov. 12 dust storm and by Feb. 6 for the later episode.

Asarco's Burgos, in a letter dated Jan. 8, requested a 30-day delay because the two incidents involve "substantially identically situations and allegations" and because it would give the mine more time to bring in outside assistance and evaluate new ideas for feasibility and to ensure they have no other adverse environmental consequences.

Burgos wrote that finding measures to address the combination of increasing the height of the mine tailing dam and high winds cannot be completed by Jan. 22, noting that "tailing dust management is a complex matter without easy solutions that are technically and financially viable and that avoid other equally undesirable environmental consequences."

By Philip Franchine, Green Valley News

pfranchine@gvnews.com | 547-9738