One [may,might,could] think of a haul road as [just,only,merely] a [dusty,dirty,filthy] [road,path] that [only,merely,simply,just] serves one [purpose,objective,end], and that is to [move,transfer,relocate,transfer,transport,redistribute] the mined ore from one [location,site] to [another,a new]. But that [dusty,filthy,dirty] road is the artery of the [entire,whole,total] operation. [Without,Devoid of,Lacking] that dusty haul road a mining [operation,business,company,venture] would [soon,almost immediately,quickly] [die,expire,pass away,pass on,crash]. To [care for,properly maintain] the road is [essentially,basically,in essence,in effect] the same as [caring for,taking care of] one’s [own,personal,individual] [health,physical condition].

We [know,understand,appreciate,realize,recognize] what [happens,occurs] when our arteries stop [working,operating] [properly,correctly], but what [happens,occurs] when a [haul,haulage] road is [not,no longer] maintained [properly,correctly,appropriately,as it should be].

On a [typical,normal,standard,average] [haul,haulage] road you [will,may] have [haul,haulage] trucks [traveling,roaming] day and night. [Some,Several,Various,Certain,Particular] [haul,haulage] roads have as many as 500 trucks [per,for each,for every] day. [While,At the same time] others [may,might,can,could] have [fewer,less] trucks but the trucks they do [have,possess,own,control] are many times [larger,bigger] [and,as well as] heavier. [Again,Once more] many of the operations are [24,twenty-four] hours [each,every,all] day [every,each] day with no [time,occasion] for stopping and [starting,re-starting].

[When,While] you have [continuous,nonstop,constant,uninterrupted] traffic on these [roads,haul roads,haulage roads] you [must,have to,have got to,should] do something to [eliminate,get rid of,do away with,eradicate,reduce] the dust. [Many,A lot of,Several] of these [haul,haulage] roads are [over,in excess of,more than,greater than] 5 miles long and [typically,normally,usually,on average,in general,more often than not] 50 feet wide. [Each,Every] one of these roads [will,may] [require,need] [approximately,about,around,roughly,more or less] one gallon per square yard [each,every] day to keep the dust [down,abated]. If [you were,one was] to [calculate,work out,compute,analyze,evaluate] these [figures,numbers] you [will,may] [find,discover] that a [typical,normal] haul road dust control [program,plan] will [require,need,necessitate] millions of gallons of water [every,each] week. In [some,a number of] [places,locations] water is a [very,extremely,incredibly] [valued,treasured] commodity that [should,ought to] be [conserved,preserved] [whenever,when] [possible,feasible] not only for the availability [but,yet] also for the [cost,expense,expenditure] of [acquisition,attainment,acquirement]. [What would,Just ask yourself, what would,imagine, what would,Think about it, what would] your water [bill,statement] be like if you [used,consumed] [over,in excess of,more than] a million gallons [each,every,each and every] week?

[As,Since,When] the [Haul,Haulage] road is watered to [maintain,keep,sustain,keep up] [manageable,controllable] levels of fugitive dust, the road [will,may] [start,begin] to [erode,wear away]. This erosion will [cause,bring about,produce,set off] pot holes and [other,further,new] imperfections [which,that] over time [will,may] cause the road to [become,be,turn out to be] un-drivable. Not only will this [become,turn out to be,turn into] a [terribly,awfully,dreadfully,horribly] [rough,uneven,bumpy,irregular] road, but those [conditions,circumstances] will [also,as well,in addition,furthermore] cause [premature,early,untimely] failure to the [haul,haulage] trucks.

[Furthermore,Also,In addition,Still,Additionally,Moreover,What's more], the [cost,price,expense] of maintaining [haul,haulage] trucks increases [dramatically,radically,noticeably,considerably] when they [must,have to] [operate,function,work,run] in a dusty [environment,location]. There are [many,a lot of,lots of,numerous,countless] parts on a truck that [fail,stop working,break down] [faster,sooner,quicker] when they are [surrounded,encircled,bounded] by dust. The engine will [ingest,consume] dust from the [haul,haulage] road which will [inevitably,unavoidably,predictably] end up in the engine oil, [thus,therefore,consequently,as a result] causing a [premature,early,untimely] [failure,breakdown] of the truck and thousands of dollars in [repairs,maintenance,upkeep].

[Working on,Maintaining] a [haul,haulage] truck is not a [simple,easy,uncomplicated] [task,job,duty,commission]. You [could,might,can] [imagine,picture,envision] having to [change,replace] a tire that is 10 feet [tall,high]. The [yearly,annual,year on year] [cost,expense] to [operate,run] these behemoths is [more,greater] than most American families [make,earn,take home,get paid,receive] in five years. If you can [lower,lessen,reduce,bring down] that [cost,expense] you will be saving the [company,corporation,business] [vast,huge,enormous,immense] amounts of [money,cash,capital] that [could,might,possibly will,may well] be directed at something more [beneficial,helpful,useful,valuable,positive,constructive].

Alleviating these [costs,expenses] is [rather,quite,very] [simple,easy,straightforward,uncomplicated]. One [only,simply,merely,just] needs to [employ,use,utilize,make use of] a [modernized,efficient] road dust control [program,plan] that not only [controls,regulates] the dust [but,yet] will [also,in addition] add a [high,elevated] level of erosion control. The more successful programs [will,may] [actually,in fact] [transform,change,convert] the old dusty dirt road into a [solid,hard,rock-solid,unyielding] stabilized driving surface [comparable,similar,akin] to many asphalt roads. This in turn will [eliminate,get rid of,do away with,eradicate,abolish,reduce] the need for water as a dust control agent and will deliver a [very,extremely,exceptionally] [smooth,level] dust free driving surface that [lowers,will lower] the [cost,expense] of operating the million dollar trucks.

[Adding,Tallying,Totaling] all these savings [together,at once] will [easily,without difficulty,effortlessly,without doubt] help a mining operation [lower,reduce] their [operating,working] [costs,expenses] to the point where the dust control program has paid for itself [within,inside] a year’s time and the [funds,money,resources,cash] from such can [then,after that,subsequently] be added to the bottom line.   

Observations of dust emissions from haul trucks show that if the dust emissions are uncontrolled, they can become a safety hazard by impairing the operator’s visibility. This increases the chance for haul truck accidents. Yet, the greatest long-term health danger of dust created from hauling operations is due to inhalation of the respirable dust [median diameter <4 micrometers (?m)] along with thoracic dust, which is equal to the EPA’s characterization of PM10 [particulate matter with a middle diameter <10 ?m]. Exposure to respirable dust has always been thought a health danger at surface mining operations, particularly if silica dust is present.

There are two governmental acts that police the air quality for mining operations: the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and the Clean Air Act of 1970. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 established the limits designed for dust in the work place for health and security purposes. The Clean Air Act of 1970 controls air emissions from facilities from an environmental viewpoint. Characterizing fugitive dust emissions from haul trucks may help mine operators understand the effects of exposure.

The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 recognized a maximum value for coal respirable dust of 2 mg/m3 for coal pit staff. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) enacts and enforces mine worker safety and health standards to lessen mine worker injuries as well as job-related diseases. If silica is encountered at some stage in the sampling procedure then the applicable respirable dust standard is reduced to the quotient of 10 divided by the measurement of quartz in the dust. For non-coal mine workers, the applicable standard is the respirable dust standard of 10 divided by the total of the quartz proportion added to 2. Both of these dust standards are intended to limit employee respirable crystalline silica (quartz) contact to 0.1 mg/m3 or fewer for the work shift. Falling in line with these dust standards is expected to lessen a worker’s chance of job-related lung illness over an average life expectancy. Furthermore, MSHA’s nuisance dust maximum value (total dust) for non-coal miners is 10 mg/m3.

Richard Harington spends nearly all of his time working to find solutions to haul road dust control products and other conservation and ecological projects not only for work but for pleasure as well. For more information regarding dust control or Haul Road Dust Control  please contact the author of this article.

Respirable coal mine dust can cause lung diseases such as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), emphysema, silicosis, and bronchitis—known collectively as black lung. Black lung can lead to lung impairment, permanent disability, and even death. While there is no cure for black lung, there are important and potentially life-saving measures that MSHA requires to be undertaken to reduce exposure to respirable coal mine dust and prevent disease. Even though these measures have been required for many years, new cases of black lung disease continue to occur among the nation’s coal miners, even in younger miners.

Recently, MSHA conducted a targeted enforcement initiative that focused on miners’ exposures to respirable coal mine dust at selected underground coal mines. As a result of the lessons MSHA learned during this initiative, the agency requests that underground coal mine operators conduct audits of their respirable dust monitoring and control programs and address any deficiencies.

Dust sampling programs did not adequately address proper maintenance of sampling equipment or ensure that samples are collected at the required times (either on shifts or days).

Many mining operations implement a haul road dust control program in order to decrease the level of fugitive dust in the work area. 

Full story here

Observations of dust emissions from haul trucks prove that if the dust emissions are unrestrained, they can be a safety danger by means of impairing the operator’s visibility. This increases the likelihood for haul truck accidents. Yet, the greatest long-term health risk of dust generated from hauling operations is due to breathing of the respirable dust [median diameter <4 micrometers (μm)] and thoracic dust, which is equivalent to the EPA’s definition of PM10 [particulate matter with a median diameter <10 μm]. Exposure to respirable dust has always been considered a health hazard on surface mining operations, particularly if silica dust is there.

There are two legislative acts that control the air quality designed for mining operations: the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and the Clean Air Act of 1970. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 established the restrictions meant for dust in the work place for healthiness and safety purposes. The Clean Air Act of 1970 controls air emissions from facilities from an environmental viewpoint. Characterizing fugitive dust emissions from haul trucks may help mine operators grasp the effects of exposure.

The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 recognized a maximum value for coal respirable dust of 2 mg/m3 for coal excavation employees. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) enacts and enforces mine employee safety and health standards to ease mine employee injuries in addition to work-related diseases. If silica is encountered in the course of the sampling process then the applicable respirable dust standard is reduced to the amount of 10 divided by the percentage of quartz appearing in the dust. Representing non-coal mine personnel, the appropriate standard is the respirable dust standard of 10 divided by the sum of the quartz proportion plus 2. Both of these dust standards are designed to limit worker respirable crystalline silica (quartz) contact to 0.1 mg/m3 or less for the shift. Observance with these dust standards is projected to lessen a worker’s chance of work-related lung disease over an average life expectancy. Additionally, MSHA’s nuisance dust limit (total dust) for non-coal miners is 10 mg/m3.

Mined by means of air hammers as well as pickaxes, bereft of dust control or consistent monitoring of volatile methane gas, the pocitos utilize methods old-fashioned within the United States a century before.

Two latest disasters that killed 25 miners exposed the ancient state of affairs. Last week, 13 miners drowned after a mine called La Espuelita flooded and the men couldn’t flee. The catastrophe came four months following another pocito, La Morita No. 49, exploded and killed 12.

Each one of the pocitos, approximately 30 miles apart in Mexico’s solitary coal-mining region, had a solitary vertical bore, violating safety standards adopted within Mexico and other countries long ago.

“Today, American coal mines are required to have a minimum of 2 shafts. That’s something that we learned way back in the 19th century,” said mine engineering Lecturer Chris Haycocks of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Small seams of coal resembling those that pocitos mine are disregarded by up to date American operations, said Jerry Herndon of the United States Mine Health and Safety Academy in West Virginia.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/special_reports/70585887.html

The commissioners began planning the workshop last August.

“We do this kind of work every day,” Rock Springs Mayor Tim Kaumo said. “If we all come together, we can come up with a product that will meet the needs of our community.”

Opinions on how this might be accomplished vary. County Engineer John Radosevich envisions a crushed base surface, with a magnesium chloride treatment for dust control two or three times a year, depending on volume of use. Kaumo thinks milled up asphalt would work better.

This is the type of project SCI thrives on, by utilizing the soils that are native to the area we would be able to transform what is considered an unusable road into a very usable and manageable road for a fraction of the cost they are looking at spending. By the time this is published here we will have contacted the public workers regarding their options. dust Control is just another part of the benefit to using Top-Seal

Similarly, whether the 50-foot-wide easement the Wyoming Department of Transportation owns can accommodate a functional two-lane roadway raises more questions than answers. Beyond the customary 12-foot-wide lanes, Radosevich wants to see 16 feet on either side of the roadway for drainage ditches, which exceeds WYDOT’s easement by 6 feet. Additionally, given projected traffic volumes and the fact that, as Radosevich noted, “property develops once you have a road,”  he questioned the future utility of a road without shoulders or a turn-around lane.

But he doesn’t question the need.

Radosevich recalls the moment, at around 5 p.m. one year ago, when, returning to Rock Springs, and cresting one of the hills along the old road with about 30 cars behind him, he came headlight to headlight with a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction — also trailed by 30 cars.

“We couldn’t back down,” Radosevich recalled. “And the road wasn’t wide enough to pass. Two or three people trying to go around other cars had already slid off.”

Luckily 10 or 12 cars on one side of the hill were able to pull off the road onto an old sheepherder’s camp, loosening the flow of traffic enough to enable everyone to get home. But in the dead of winter an old sheepherder’s camp isn’t much fun, not to mention much of a refuge.

“Safety is going to drive the path forward,” Kaumo agreed. He and John Eddins, WYDOT Engineer for District 3, spent 3 hours on the old road during the most recent I-80 closure, monitoring traffic and “trying to make calls that made sense.”

One was to WYDOT, to issue a road closure for the route on which, by that time, dozens of motorists were stranded, including the now notorious U-Haul trailer. He and Eddins were in a 4-wheel drive truck and, Kaumo added, “it was iffy with that.”

“Whenever there’s a closure, I get out there if I can,” Eddins said.  Charged with maintaining I-80 between Rock Springs and Green River, he also noted that WYDOT is “not in a position to take over another route” and cautioned, “Everybody needs to be realistic about this.”
But WYDOT can assist with about $4 million in funding through the Industrial Roads Program, he said, and could also turn the easement over to the county, which would then assume responsibility for maintaining it.   

The Green River to Rock Springs Route Feasibility Study, completed by the Boulder group Short Elliot Hendrickson Inc. late last year, proposed three different connector routes between the two cities, with price tags ranging from $26 million to $65 million, depending on location and materials used. Citing cost, projected use, and the few times per year the stretch of highway between the two cities is actually closed — roughly four — the group also called the need for an alternate roadway “questionable,” prompting Kaumo to describe  the study as “an action plan that called for no action.”

He said the one issue with some validity is that enabling people to travel a road creates some liability, which the county could alleviate with warning signs. Radosevich agreed that liability could be a problem, referring to what the feasibility study identifies as horizontal and vertical “design standards” — that is, the sharpness of curves and peaks — to which the old road does not conform.

He emphasized the need for speed limits to compensate for the nonconformities, and also noted the necessity for supports over the utility corridor that grew up along the old highway, to disperse the weight from increased volumes of traffic.  He also predicted that controlling access to the road would remain difficult, warning signs notwithstanding:

“When the interstate’s closed, you’re going to get truck drivers who’re willing to take the gamble.”

But neither he nor Kaumo see the old road’s renovation as, necessarily, a multimillion dollar project. Although in his opinion “less design means more maintenance”, Radosevich estimated that any needed right of ways could be acquired, ground soil testing and dirt work completed, gravel purchased and laid, and missing guard rails replaced for about $600,000 a mile, or $3-$5 million. Kaumo added that most of the work could be done in-house.

“A project like this doesn’t need to be bid out,” he said. “We may need to purchase road base and the like, but we can use our own employees and our own equipment to build it.”

Kaumo thinks a road that’s “safe and passable” could be completed by fall of next year.
“All we want to do is what makes sense,” he said. “This won’t be the finest road. But it will definitely get you home.”

97F Cat® Mining Truck
The 797F, with 4,000-horsepower (2983 kW) and rated payload capacities to 363 tonnes, combines the strengths of its predecessors with a new engine, redesigned operator station and custom body systems to deliver even lower costs per tonne – with less environmental impact.

The 797F also offers easier maintenance and enhanced safety provisions. Ground level service points ease access, and 1,000-hour hydraulic filter service intervals reduce required maintenance. Safety enhancements include wider walkways, a rear access ladder and a bumper-mounted, three-way, lock-out tag-out box.

The 20-cylinder, 4,000-gross-horsepower Cat C175-20 ACERT engine has a single engine block and is the heart of the new truck. The engine has accumulated more than a quarter-million hours of field testing in mining trucks and power-generating systems. The C175 displaces 5.3 litres (323 in³) per cylinder – for a total displacement of 106 litres (6,458 in³). The 797F develops 450 horsepower more than its predecessor, the 797B, which used a 24-cylinder Cat 3524B engine displacing 117 litres (7,143 in³).

The cross-flow engine design uses four turbochargers, an air-to-air after cooler and an electronically controlled common-rail fuel system, which precisely delivers multiple injections in a single combustion event. These electronically controlled systems account for much of the high power density and low emissions and contribute to the 797F fuel efficiency and responsive performance. The engine meets EPA Tier 2 emissions standards. The engine-cooling system, also electronically controlled, uses the engine cooling fan only as needed, which conserves power and fuel.

The engine control module, the Cat ADEM™ A4, has 50 times the computing power of its predecessor. The new module monitors more than 30 critical engine functions, drives the 20 fuel injectors and communicates more than 100 engine parameters that describe engine health and assist in diagnosing problems.

A robust drive shaft transfers the immense torque of the C175-20 engine to the rear-axle-mounted, seven-speed planetary transmission, which delivers a smooth flow of power through the massive rear axle to double-reduction final drives. An integral lock-up torque converter enhances high speed performance and fuel efficiency.

The Cat Electronic Clutch Pressure Control system effectively manages transmission-clutch operation under varying speed and load conditions, assuring that gear changes occur with no power loss and that clutch engagement is modulated to promote smooth shifts and long clutch life. A separate fluid system assures a dedicated supply of clean, cool oil for clutch operation and transmission lubrication. Transmission features include engine over-speed protection, downshift inhibitor (at high speeds) and programmable top speeds.

The 797F integrated braking system combines three brake functions (primary, secondary and parking) with an automatic, hydraulically actuated retarder in a single assembly located at each wheel. These immense, oil-cooled, multiple-disc assemblies provide a total braking/retarding surface of 51,250 in² (330 645 cm²). An integral heat exchanger controls brake-oil temperature to maintain no-fade performance and to extend brake life.

A robotically welded and ultrasonically checked frame incorporates nine mild-steel castings. The large radii castings are resilient to absorb frame flexing and ensure long life. The mild steel castings and fabrications provide flexibility, durability and resistance to impact loads, even in cold climates.

Available for the 797F is a choice of four Mine Specific Design (MSD II) body options that can be used in conjunction with a configurable liner system to provide an optimal blend of payload capacity and durability in a given application. Customers can tailor body systems to production demands and operating constraints, and payload capacity can be as much as 18 tonnes greater in some instance than was available with the 797B.

793F Cat® Mining Truck
The new 793F Cat® Mining Truck, the fifth generation of the 793, builds on the proven, 20-year performance record of its predecessors with a powerful new engine, choice of power train options, choice of body systems and a completely redesigned operator station. These refinements take the 793F – now with 2,650 horsepower (1976 kW) and a 226.8-tonne payload capacity – to higher standards of productivity, durability, operating ease, altitude capability, fuel efficiency and emissions control.

The 793F also offers enhanced serviceability through its ground level service points and 1,000-hour hydraulic filter service intervals. Other changes promote safe operator and technician access—wider walkways, flat upper deck, rear access ladder and a three-way lock-out tag-out box mounted on the bumper.

The 16-cylinder, 2,650-gross-horsepower Cat C175-16 diesel engine displaces 5.3 litres (323 in³) per cylinder – for a total displacement of 85 litres (5,187 in³). The 793F develops 235 horsepower more than its predecessor, the 793D, which used a 16-cylinder Cat 3516B engine displacing 78 litres (4,760 in³).

The 793F electronically controlled six-speed planetary transmission, with an integral lock-up torque converter, drives through the massive rear-axle differential and double reduction final drives, which together provide an overall reduction-ratio of 29:1.

The 793F standard braking system combines three brake functions (primary, secondary and parking) with an automatic, hydraulically actuated retarder operating on all four corners of the truck. These sealed, oil-cooled assemblies use a number of 34.5-inch (874.5-cm) diameter friction discs stacked alternately with same-diameter steel plates. Compressing this assembly with a hydraulically actuated piston (primary braking/retarding) or via spring pressure (secondary/parking brake) slows and stops the truck.

The 793F continues to offer the Additional Retarding option designed for long, steep downhill hauls. This option includes the Extended Life Wheel Stations package and adds a second oil-to-water cooler for brake oil, a second water pump in the brake-cooling system and larger-diameter cooling lines. Equipped with the Additional Retarding option, the 793F typically can negotiate downhill grades one gear higher, compared with trucks having standard brake/retarder assemblies. The higher gear normally allows an approximate 25-percent increase in attainable speed.

The 793F is offered with three body options: X-Body; MSD II (Mine Specific Design); and Gateless Coal Body. The X-Body uses a particularly heavy-duty design and accommodates a larger volume than previous Cat dual-slope or flat-floor bodies – but design enhancements keep the weight of the new body the same as previous bodies. The X-Body is designed primarily for new mine sites, where materials of different densities frequently must be hauled.

The MSD II Body is configured based on an evaluation of parameters at specific sites, including material density, material abrasiveness, impact potential, type of loading tool, haul road conditions and conditions at the loading and dumping sites. The MSD II Body then is custom designed to yield the best balance of payload capacity and durability when working at established mine sites, where material density likely will be consistent.

When hauling coal is the primary task, the Gateless Coal Body can be used to achieve consistently large payloads. The body is designed to retain full loads without the additional weight and complexity of a tailgate. The Gateless Coal Body is designed to be used without liners.
The new F-Series cab features an angled, centre-mounted instrument panel and a centre console. The cab provides greater viewing area when compared to the previous model. Ergonomic design of controls and displays promotes efficient and comfortable operation. Analogue-type gauges are quickly checked without losing sight of the haul road, and the integral Vital Information Management System (a powerful third-generation configuration) provides machine health and payload data, plus easy access to diagnostic and machine management information either onboard or off, via internet-based access.

Levers and switches in the console are comfortably positioned just forward of the right armrest to allow easy control with minimum effort. The fully adjustable air-suspension seat assures all-shift comfort for the operator and is available as an option for the trainer. The newly designed front and side windows give a commanding view of the haul road and work area. A 600-mm-wide (24-in-wide) stairway and walkway, assist safe entry and exit, and wide-angle mirrors, body-raised indicator, double body-retaining cables and reverse-neutralizer (when dumping) further promote safe operation.

She had many reasons, but they boiled down to differences between living with an existing mine in a long-compromised area and bringing a new one into a more pristine site — and to differences in trust between neighbors of Freeport and of Rosemont.

Freeport’s mine — where mining has occurred for a century — employs 1,000 people and sprawls 1.5 by 2 miles in its open pit. A peek inside the 1,500 foot deep pit shows about 25 mine benches, each about 50 feet tall, heading toward the bottom. To the pit’s west lies the rocky Sierrita Mountains.

The mine processes 160,000 to 170,000 tons of ore daily, down in this recessionary area from 220,000 a year ago. Rock is blasted five days a week, three to five times daily. Electric shovels cost $25 million and stand 64 feet high. Each of 18 haul trucks can carry 162 tons for crushing. A mill building stands five stories tall.

Finally, the company’s 3,500 acre tailings impoundment stands as a testimony to past dust complaints from residents but also offers promise for future groundwater cleanups and newer dust control equipment, since the company is proposing to do a massive, very expensive cleanup of tainted groundwater lying underneath and spreading from the tailings.

At one point, Giffords marveled to company officials: “You’ve got quite a piece of land. How did it get like this?”

“One truckload at a time,” came the reply.

The company’s environmental bottom line starts with new dust collectors to capture dust off the top of the tailings. Then there is the seepage that has created an extensive sulfate plume undereath the tailings that has flowed toward public drinking wells. But the company has paid to drill two new public wells in recent years so homeowners no longer drink sulfate-tainted water that can harm the stomach and intestines.

Freeport also has developed an extensive mitigation plan to deal with the pollution, that proposes to spend $81 million to drill 16 new interceptor wells to pump that sulfate water out from under the tailings and put it back into mining operations. Community feedback has been positive from from the plan, which is under state review, Freeport’s Chad Fretz told Giffords at a meeting inside the mine’s office.

“There’s a lot of water. it’s not something we can fix overnight. There’s nothing we can do to make the plume go away tomorrow,” Fretz said. “But there are things we can do tomorrow to make sure the plume doesn’t spread.”

A new proposed tailings impoundment, slated for state-owned land lying west of the current tailings, would help the mine control water pollution underneath the tailings because this one would be lined to prevent seepage. But company officials acknowledged that there’s always a risk in trying to buy state land because by state law, it must be sold to return the highest value for public schools, which usually means to a developer. There’s no auction date set but public comments on the proposed sale close the third week of October. The company has gotten state support and is working to gain community support.

“It’s a costly approach, but we feel it is the right approach,” Fretz said.

At the meeting, Giffords told Freeport that this mine is well managed and that officials have demonstrated their ability to be good stewards and reduce their environmental impacts.

“Other mining operations don’t have the track record or history — you have a plus on your side,” Giffords said, without naming names.

After the tour, she was asked why she was opposed to Rosemont and its 400 jobs when she praised Freeport so heavily. Part of the difference lies between appreciating an existing mine and bringing in a new one, she said.

Repeating many comments she’d made before, she also pointed to the opposition from every local government to Rosemont, the huge concerns about that mine’s additional water use, whereas the water use at Freeport has been here a long time. There’s also noise and light pollution from Rosemont, said Giffords, adding: “To begin a new mine in one of the most scenic spots in the desert Southwest is a mistake.”

Finally, “we hear from constituents that by and large, about the mining operations here, we hear confidence in Freeport, in the process taking place that assures water quality. There is trust in the relationship here.

“With the Augusta mine, the process has tarnished the trust between the community and Augusta,” Giffords said. “We’ve heard dissatisfaction with the process from thousands of people. We’d like some resolution.”

The commissioners decided during their meeting to change the land from agricultural to industrial.

Mary Hodell, who spoke on behalf of Neighbors United at the meeting, is against the zoning change.

“Why does it have to be right in the middle of agricultural land?” Hodell asked.

Chairman Duane “Bucky” Wolf said accessibility to the railroad and Interstate 94 makes it a good place.

Hodell also wants the commission to set strict rules for the trucks going to and from the plant, saying she’s already seen trucks breaking from suggested routes.

“If you’ve got road agreements, what’s the consequence when they don’t follow this? And they haven’t been,” Hodell said.

Commissioner Russ Hoff said the road agreement between GTL and Stark County covers “anywhere from dust control to different roads that they’re taking, signage on roads, weight permits — it pretty much covers it all.”

“GTL has agreed to be held to a higher standard than we hold a lot of producers out there that are trucking a lot of grain on those roads and doing equally as much damage to those roads and I applaud them for their willingness in taking care of them,” Commissioner Jay Elkin said.

Commissioner Ken Zander said he believes most Stark County residents are in favor of the plant, saying he has heard from many residents outside of meetings about their approval of the project.

Neal Messer, spokesman for GTL Energy, attended the meeting.

“This is a beneficiation plant, which will drastically improve the quality of North Dakota lignite and any type of coal, for that matter, by a drying process which allows the coal to drastically increase the BTU value, which would make it much more competitive in the world market…” Messer said.

The same rezoning request was passed by the Zoning Board and the County Commission last year. However, a judge ruled the county did not follow proper steps and the zoning change was overturned, which caused those involved to start the process over.

The troubled landfill, at 2650 W. Hatch Road, west of Carpenter Road, also must correct groundwater contamination threatening the drinking water of 300 people in the Riverdale Park neighborhood three miles southwest of Modesto, California Attorney General Jerry Brown demands in the lawsuit.

“These people have really been able to skirt, duck and evade their obligations,” said Cris Carrigan, senior staff counsel with the state Water Resources Control Board, which has been on Bonzi’s tail for more than 20 years. “It’s gotten to the point where the board just didn’t think we had any other recourse (than to sue).”

Also, Riverdale Park residents this week received notices to boil water before drinking it for reasons unrelated to the landfill. Water in distribution lines has high levels of bacteria, a relatively common problem that could be corrected in a few days or less, a Stanislaus County official said.

Named as lawsuit defendants are the landfill, parent company Ma-Ru Holding Co., and Miliza Bonzi and Steven Bonzi. Brian Terrell, president and general manager of Rudy Bonzi Inc., said Tuesday he had no comment on the lawsuit. Terrell also said he would discuss with lawyers whether to present to the public the landfill’s side of the story.

“(Bee) articles in the past have been so egregious and grossly erroneous,” Terrell said. “I am eager to get the information out (to confront) the hysteria that’s been created.”

A previous lawsuit ended with Bonzi agreeing in 2005 to pay $500,000 in fines, plus $8.6 million spread out in scheduled payments to cover closing costs by 2011. A year later, the landfill had paid $100,000 in fines and $4 million in closing costs, but has not paid more since and is more than $2 million behind, Carrigan said.

Some Riverdale Park neighbors, across Hatch Road from the landfill, said they have little faith that Bonzi will meet the state’s demands, and fear that their water eventually will be tainted. Should that happen, the city of Modesto will provide drinking water in pipes already hooked up as a precaution.

“Bonzi shows no intention of doing the right thing,” said Kelly Murphy, a resident and member of the Riverdale Park Tract Community Services District. The agency provides water for $25 a month from a well in the path of a contaminated underground plume slowly moving toward the Tuolumne River.

“If you go back and look at all the violations,” Murphy said, “it just makes your jaw drop and go, ‘What the hell is wrong with these people?’ ”

State officials have demanded that Bonzi clean up the tainted groundwater since the mid-1980s, about the time the landfill closed to the public, although garbage trucks have dumped loads there since. The late Rudy Bonzi had started the 128-acre landfill in 1967 without a bottom liner or means of collecting liquids draining from the site.

Toxins detected in tests include cancer-causing components of gasoline and metals such as barium, chromium, vanadium, manganese, nickel and zinc.

“The Regional Water Board must ensure that the ongoing threat to groundwater in the Modesto area, including the serious threat to the Riverdale community drinking water supply, is eliminated,” said Pamela Creedon, the board’s executive officer.

Bonzi may owe an additional $1.4 million in fines for failing to live up to the 2005 judgment, Carrigan said.

“More important to us, though, is getting them to do the work,” Carrigan said. “Penalties are fine if they send a deterrent message. But what we really need them to do is to clean up the site. That’s the far more distressing aspect of their behavior.”

Murphy said: “We’ll be glad when they’re shut down. I believe it’s mandated by their behavior. They’ve been given so many chances, yet it appears their mission is to get as much money as they can before they padlock the gate.”

Years of testing the neighborhood well has turned up no contamination from the landfill. But Sonya Harrigfeld, Stanislaus County’s environmental resources director, said residents were warned Tuesday not to drink water before boiling, because of high bacteria levels commonly associated with accidental breaks in water lines.

Murphy said water pumping to fight the July 22 Bonzi fire, ignited by decomposing almond hulls, depressurized his agency’s water system, allowing bacteria to enter water lines.

Two other small water systems among 300 regulated by the county also are on boil-water alert. Breaks in water lines shut down water systems in a mobile home park east of Empire, where the owner is supplying bottled water to residents, and at Westley’s Hills View area.

“It’s kind of unusual for us to have that many going on” at one time, Harrigfeld said.

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/840156.html