[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Reaches Settlement with Asarco to Clean Up Contamination at Helvetia Mine Site near Tucson

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Reaches Settlement with Asarco to Clean Up Contamination at
Helvetia Mine Site near Tucson 

PHOENIX (Oct. 3, 2008) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ has reached an agreement
with Asarco LLC to have Asarco fund an investigation and clean up a
contaminated former mining site south of Tucson as part of Asarco's
bankruptcy settlement overseen by U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Texas.

The site, the former Helvetia copper mine, is 28 miles southeast of
Tucson.  Mining operations were conducted periodically at the site
during the late 1890s and early 1900s.

"This agreement will help ensure that contamination from this old mining
site will be cleaned up at last," Director Owens said. 

Under the bankruptcy agreement, Asarco will pay up to $880,000 into a
special fund to pay for the cleanup, which will be performed by
contractors hired and supervised by ADEQ.

Under direction from ADEQ, a complete remedial investigation of the site
and nearby areas will be conducted to identify the extent of
contamination. Waste piles at the site show evidence of acid mine
drainage and erosion.  Based on the results of the remedial
investigation, the cleanup may include covering, or capping, the waste
piles and planting vegetation to control erosion. 

Asarco also will prepare a community relations plan and use a qualified
community group to hire independent technical advisors to evaluate
Asarco's work. 

The Helvetia agreement is one of a series of clean-up agreements being
negotiated between ADEQ and Asarco.  In June the Bankruptcy Court
approved an agreement between for cleanup of Asarco's mining sites in
Hayden in Pinal County and Winkelman in Gila County.  

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News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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