The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced an open comment period for the Boulder Creek property located north of Elim. The call for public comment will give proponents and opponents an opportunity to voice their opinions on the project before a decision on granting a permit is made.
According to Hal Shepherd with the Norton Bay Watershed Council, given the State of Alaska’s track record with mining operations the move is largely procedural.
“They’re required to make a decision on whether or not to grant the permit. But it being a mining company, it’s very likely that the state will grant it,” Shepherd said.
The Boulder Creek exploration program, led by Panther Minerals, aims to confirm historical estimates of uranium deposits in the area. According to their Application for Permits to Mine in Alaska (APMA), the Canadian mining company has plans to drill 50 holes to extract core samples this summer. The 140 page document also outlines plans to pump 18,000 gallons of water per day from waterways that lead into the Tubutulik River.
Shepherd, who has experience consulting villages on nearby mining projects, noted that the permit will likely include a Temporary Water Use Authorization. He expressed concern over the amount of water being pumped from the Tubutulik.
“The water needs to stay in stream to protect the aquatic habitat,” Shepherd explained. “Mining companies really like to just talk about water quality, and they never talk about water flow.”
Elim will soon apply for an Instream-Flow Reservation from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to protect the Tubutulik. The program’s stated purpose is to “ensure that aquatic-dependent species have sufficient amounts of good quality water to thrive in Alaska’s rivers”. More than 300 such reservations protecting over 2,000 miles of rivers have been granted to date.
Detailed descriptions of the planned activities can be found in the APMA submitted to the DNR. Also included in the document is a copy of the Notice of Operations submitted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The federal agency oversees 11 of the 23 mining claims Panther Minerals plan to operate on.
Comments and questions concerning this activity are due by July 25 at 5:00 p.m. To submit comments call (907) 458-6887 or e-mail: dnr.fbx.mining@alaska.gov.
Written comments must be received by the Division of Mining, Land and Water at the Fairbanks Mine Permitting Office, 3700 Airport Way, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 on or before 5:00 p.m. on July 28.
