Draft environmental impact statement, Oro Cruz operation of the American Girl mining project

326 Pages·1994·71 MB·English

by  United States. Bureau of Land Management. El Centro Resource Area

BLMLIBRARY
88045383
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
ORO CRUZ OPERATION
OFTHE
AMERICAN GIRL MINING PROJECT
PreparedBy:
BureauofLandManagement
ElCentroResourceArea
ElCentro, California
P.M.DeDycker&Associates,Inc.
Lakewood, Colorado
April 1994
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UnitedStatesDepartmentoftheInterior aPmReIrDjEcIaN"
BUREAUOFLANDMANAGEMENT
ElCeEnl1tC6r6eo1n,tSCraooluiRtfehosr4ontuiharcS9et2r2Ae4er3te-a4561 ORG CRINUREZPLYRP3EFO8E0ROT9O;
(CA-067.20)
April29,1994
Dear Reader:
Wearepleased toprovideyouwiththisDraftEnvironmental Impact Statement (EIS)
fortheproposed Oro CruzOperation oftheAmerican GirlCanyonProject foryour
reviewandcomment. TheOro CruzOperation isaproposed surfaceand underground
goldminingproject on 191acres ofpubliclandinImperial County,California. The
purpose ofthisDraftEISistoidentifyand describe theenvironmental consequences
that wouldresult fromtheproposed miningoperation.
ThisDraftEIS hasbeen prepared tomeet therequirements oftheNational
Environmental PolicyActand the CouncilonEnvironmental Quality'simplementing
regulations (40CFR 1500). Thedocument hasbeen prepared byP.M.DeDycker and
Associates, Inc.,anindependent environmental consultant, under the direction ofthe
Bureau ofLand Management.
A60-daypublicreviewperiod hasbeen established forthisdocument. Written
comments concerning theadequacy ofthisdocument willbeconsidered inpreparation of
theFinalEIS. Thepubliccomment period willend onJune 28,1994. Written
comments should beaddressed to:
BureauofLandManagement
ElCentroResourceArea
1661SouthFourthStreet
ElCentro,CA 92243 ?P-SOXpiil^'^'^eR
Attention:ThomasZale ^^.CO QQ22S
No public hearings are presently planned. However, should public demand warrant, a
hearing wouldbeheld bytheBureau ofLand Management.
Sincerely,
G.Ben Ko?^
Area Manager

Alternativestotheproposedactioninclude:
• NoAction
• CompleteBackfillingofWasteRock
• CyanideSolutionApplicationViaDripEmitters
• FloatingCoveronPondsContainingCyanideSolution
Additionalchangesinminingandprocessingoperations andchangesinthelocation
ofsomeprojectfacilitiesandcomponentswereconsidered,buteliminatedfromfurther
analysisintheDraftEISonthebasisoftechnicalandeconomic feasibility,and/or
environmentalconsequences.
Theenviromnentalconsequencesoftheproposedactionandalternativesareaddressed
intheDraftEISintermsofthefollowingelements ofthehumanenvironment:
ClimateandAirQuality Recreation
Geology VisualResources
Hydrology Sound
Soils CulturalResources
Vegetation Transportation
Wildlife Socioeconomics
LandUse
IssuesidentifiedandaddressedthroughthescopingprocessandevalujitedintheDraft
EISincludewildhfe,culturalresources,visualresources,recreational useandpublic
safety,cyanidemanagement, and reclamation. Impacts towildlifewouldremain
significantandunavoidable,evenaftermitigation.
PublicReview: ThisDraftEISisbeingdistributedfora60-daypublicreviewandcommentperiod.
TchoimsmernetvsiewonanthdecDoramfmtenEItSpsehroiuolddwbiellsuebnmditotnedtothJeuBnLeM2a8ttheab,ov1e99a4d.dreWsrsitatennd
shouldbereceivednolaterthan June 28 ,1994.
Nopublichearingsarepresentlyplanned. However,shouldpublicdemandwarrent,
apublichearingwouldbeheldbytheBLM.
Thisdocumenthasbeenapprovedforpublicreview.
'f2^
Henri R.Bisson
District Manager
California Desert District

CoverSheet
DraftEnvironmentalImpactStatement
ForTheProposed OroCruzOperation
ImperialCounty,California
LeadAgency: U.S.Department oftheInterior
BureauofLandManagement
CaliforniaDesertDistrict
ElCentreResource Area
ElCentro,California
ProposedAction: Excavationoftwoopenpitsandanunderground mine,awasterockdumpandthree
smallerdevelopmentdumps,ahaulroadtoexistingprocessingfacilities,andasource
ofaggregate.
Comments orrequests forinformation shouldbedirected totheBureau ofLand
Management asfollows:
BureauofLandManagement
ElCentroResourceArea
1661SouthFourthStreet
ElCentro,CA92243
[phone]
Attention:ThomasZale
Designation: DraftEnvironmental ImpactStatement (EIS)
Abstract: Inaccordance withthe National Environmental PolicyAct, the Bureau ofLand
Management (BLM)publishedaNoticeofIntenttoprepareanEISfortheProposed
Oro Cruz Operation ofthe American GirlProject onJune 5, 1992. APlan of
OperationfortheProposedOroCruzOperationoftheAmericanGirlProjectwasfirst
asunbdmiwtatsedsutboseBqLueMntblyyArmeveirsiecdaninGMiarlyM1i9n9i3n.gJAoGinMtJVVentiusraejo(iAntGMvJenVt)ureinoMfaMrcKhG1o9l9d2
Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morrison-Kaudsen Corporation, and
Eastmaque GoldMining,Ltd.,awhollyownedsubsidiaryofEquinoxResources,Ltd.
Theproposedactionisasurfaceandundergroundminingprojectonunpatented lode
andplacerclaimsonpubliclandsmImperial County,California. About2.5million
tonsoforeand8.5milliontonsofwasterockwouldbeminedfromtwoopenpits,the
CrossPitandtheQueen Pit,duringanestimated twoyearperiod. TheQueen Pit
wouldbebackfilleduponcompletionofmining. Underground miningwouldbeginin
theCrossPitandbeconducted concurrentlywithsurfacemining. One-halfmillion
tonsoforeand65,000tonsofwasterockwouldbeproduced duringathree year
period. Oreproducedbybothsurfaceandundergroundminingwouldbetransported
2.5milesbyhaultruckstoexistingmillandheap leach facilitiesinAmerican Girl
Canyonviaaproposedhaulroad. WasterockwouldbedisposedofintheQueenPit,
andononelargeandthreesmallerwasterockdumps. Aggregateforuseinstabilizing
undergroundmineworkingswouldbehauledfromaquarryneartheexistingAmerican
GirlCanyonfacilitiestotheCrossPitalongthesamehaulroad. Surfacedisturbance
resultingfromtheproposedactionwouldtotal191acres.

Draft Environmental Impact Statement
ORO CRUZ OPERATION
OFTHE
AMERICAN GIRL MINING PROJECT
Prepared By:
BureauofLandManagement
ElCentreResourceArea
1661 SouthFourth Street
ElCentro, California 92243
P.M. DeDycker&Associates, Inc.
12596 WestBayaudAve. Suite380
Lakewood, Colorado 80228
April 1994