Florence, Ariz. — The ban on the use of sulfuric acid approved Aug. 6 by the Florence town council is directed at a proposed in-situ mine operation and other large operations, but would not affect agriculture, a spokesman for the council told Green Markets. But the situation could be different if a fertilizer producer ever decided to locate in the area. “The use in agriculture by farmers is specifically exempted from the ordinance,” said Jesse Knudson, deputy town manager and public information officer. “But if there were a fertilizer plant here and it exceeded the limit of 50 gallons of acid over a 30 day period, it could be another matter.” Knudson said the ordinance bans in situ mining being proposed by operations that use large amounts of sulfuric acid, and is directed at Curis Resources Ltd. and its proposed Florence Copper Project, classifying the use of sulfuric acid as a nuisance that poses a danger to residents. “Our council feelings regarding this land use change was due to the potential environmental concerns and the risk of tainting our water supplies. One hundred percent of the water supplied to our residents is from underground aquifers, one of which is located directly beneath the proposed site. In addition, the proposed mine is in the geographic center of our town and in direct proximity to existing homes and planned construction of homes.” According to Curis, a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada, the in-situ copper recovery solution is 99.7 percent water and one-third of 1 percent sulfuric acid by volume. The solution is injected about 400 to 1,200 feet below the surface, where it dissolves the copper ore and is then extracted back to the surface.
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