The Rock Creek ore body was discovered by Bear Creek Mining (Kennecott) in the early 1960's, and was later optioned to ASARCO. Revett acquired the property in two transactions consolidating ownership to 100%. As with Troy, Rock Creek was held 75% by ASARCO and 25% by Kennecott. In addition to the Rock Creek claims, Revett also acquired some contiguous claims which were held 100% by Kennecott; the Copper Gulch, Horizon Basin and Rock Peak claims.
ASARCO explored the property from 1974 through 1983, expanding on the work previously done by Kennecott. The permitting process commenced in 1987 with the submission of a plan of operations to the United States Forest Service ("USFS"), the primary land manager for the project. The Rock Creek deposit is situated on USFS land, specifically within the Kootenai National Forest, and under the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area, and as such required Federal, as well as State approvals to develop.
Mineral patents for Rock Creek were issued in 1989 which initiated the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") process for environmental review. NEPA sets the framework for project consideration through an interagency (Federal, State and Tribal) conducted environmental impact study. The resulting document, an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS"), presents the findings of this study and any development alternatives considered. This EIS is the basis for development permit approval or denial. The process culminated in the lead agencies, in our case the USFS and Montana Department of Environmental Quality ("MDEQ"), issuing a Record of Decision ("ROD") regarding development. With the ROD and required financing in hand, Revett will commence its approved Evaluation Program in the spring of 2005. This program will further define the technical aspects of the project and result in a revised technical and economic feasibility study by early 2007. Presuming a positive feasibility study, and the receipt of necessary construction permits and financing, Revett intends to develop Rock Creek as an approximate 10,000 ton per day, underground mine / conventional mineral flotation processing operation, with estimated annual production of 7 million ounces of silver, and 59 million pounds of copper during the first 9 years of production.
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Rock Creek and the Environment:
As with most modern mines, the top environmental priority for the Rock Creek Mine will be water quality. The mine is named after the adjacent stream, which is a tributary to the Clark Fork River, which in turn feeds Lake Pend Oreille.
Rock Creek will employ, in tandem, two water treatment systems. The primary is an active biological system. This method incorporates what municipal wastewater treatment systems have developed over the years specifically to treat the mine's water. The secondary method is reverse osmosis. Also called RO, this highly engineered plant removes impurities by passing the water through a membrane designed precisely for that task.
Water that passes through the water treatment system must meet stringent standards of not only the State of Montana, but also the State of Idaho (because the Clark Fork flows into Idaho) as well as the Federal Government. The mine's discharge water will be treated to not only meet or exceed drinking water standards, but also the higher standards for fish and other aquatic life. In other words, the discharge will not only meet the letter of the law, it will be clean enough for fish to live in and children to drink.
In addition to protecting water quality, the Rock Creek Mine will:
- Utilize a design that considers final reclamation and closure, even prior to turning the first shovel in construction. This ensures environmental protection is given preference throughout the entire life of the operation.
- Employ the long-proven paste technology, incorporating necessary site-specific engineering, to manage the mine's tailings. Storing tailings in the paste form is safer, more stable, brings greater protection to water quality and the environment, and allows the land to be returned to a productive use more quickly. After calculating everything from heavy runoff to a 7.0 Richter Scale earthquake, engineers have determined that over a 1,000-year period, "the likelihood of failure of a paste impoundment is considered negligible, less than 1 in 1 million chances of occurring."
- Protect wilderness, wildlife, and recreational values of the area.
- Take extra measures to reduce unnecessary traffic, substantially reduce dust and other air emissions, and reduce fuel consumption.
- Obtain full reclamation bonding, protecting the taxpayers.
- Provide at least 330 high-paying jobs for the area.
- Provide over $22 million per year in taxes, goods, and services purchases.
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