Aug 4 2016
Copper Fox Metals Inc. ('Copper Fox' or the 'Company'), through its wholly owned subsidiary Desert Fox Van Dyke Co., is pleased to provide the results of an analysis prepared by NV5 Inc. related to the permitting process for the Van Dyke in-situ leaching copper project located in Miami, Arizona.
The Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") for the Van Dyke project (see News Release dated November 25, 2015) recommended completion of a pre-feasibility study that included a five well pilot in-situ leach ("ISL") program. The permitting process is managed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency ("USEPA") and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality ("ADEQ"). The main permits required to complete the five well test are:
- Aquifer Protection Permit ("APP") for leaching operations and surface impoundments; ADEQ; and
- Underground Injection Control Permit ("UIC") for injection wells; USEPA.
Mr. Elmer Stewart, President & CEO, said "The analysis by NV5 has demonstrated that, on two separate occasions, a Ground Water Quality Protection Permit ("GWQPP", predecessor to the APP) and UIC permits were issued to Occidental Minerals Corporation ("Occidental") and Kocide Chemical Corp. ("Kocide") for in-situ leaching operations on the Van Dyke project. The possibility of using the historical information from previous in-situ testing significantly reduces the estimated cost and the amount of additional data required to support the permit application process."
Highlights of NV5 Review:
- The cost to acquire the APP and UIC permits is now estimated to be $US425,000, compared to the $US1.0 million as stated in the PEA;
- The information for the Van Dyke project on file at ADEQ can be used to build the APP and UIC permit applications if the proposed in-situ leach test is located in the area of historical operations; and
- The historical information on file at ADEQ will assist in summarizing discharge activity, surface and subsurface geology, description of all wells, aquifer characteristics including permeability, depth, hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, and existing water quality of the aquifers underlying the site as required by Arizona Statutes.
Historical Information on Permits:
ADHS Groundwater Quality Protection Permit G-0003-04 ("predecessor to the APP"):
Following the in-situ testing completed by Occidental between 1978 and 1980, Kocide obtained a GWQPP for the Van Dyke Mine on November 3, 1986 that was valid for five years. The last APP permit application for the Van Dyke project was withdrawn by Arimetco in July 1999 due to technical deficiencies experienced by Arimetco at Van Dyke and other operating sites in Arizona.
UIC Permit:
The EPA's database entry on April 29, 1994 for the UIC permit for the Van Dyke project shows four active "5x25 Experimental Technology" wells (Class V UIC wells) and five additional wells were listed as "Under Construction". The Last Data Update for the Van Dyke project on the EPA database was June 3, 2010.
The Technical Report on the Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Van Dyke project can be found on Copper Fox's website at www.copperfoxmetals.com.
Qualified Person:
Elmer B. Stewart, MSc. P.Geo., President of Copper Fox, is the Company's non-independent, nominated Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101, Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has reviewed and approves the scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release.
Source: http://www.copperfoxmetals.com/