Cyanidation facility application deemed incomplete by DEQ

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A request for a permit to operate a cyanidation facility has been rejected on the grounds it was deemed incomplete.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality recently rejected an application by Perpetua Resources to operate the facility as part of the Stibnite Gold Project, a gold mining operation located in Valley County.

The permit would allow Perpetua Resources to build, operate and close the facility, which is designed to contain, treat or dispose of process water or process-contaminated water containing cyanide.

Information was incomplete, the DEQ found, during a 30-day application “completeness review.” The missing information is required, according to the “Rules for Ore Processing by Cyanidation,” the department stated in a release.

The proposed Stibnite mining operation would be located within an existing area used for mining, which included underground mines, rock dumps, tailing deposits and open pits.

Perpetua Resources was notified of the incomplete application, and the review is available to the public on the completeness review webpage.

Once the DEQ receives an updated application, it will again conduct a 30-day completeness review. If the application is accepted, the department will issue a draft permit. Once a draft permit is issued, there will then be a 60-day public comment period, which the department will address.