San Juan County residents are speaking out against a proposal from the Lisbon Valley Mining Company that they say will irreparably damage drinking water and ruin livelihoods like cattle ranching. Although the Lisbon Valley mine has operated for years with traditional open pit mining, the company is applying for permits on a different process that involves pumping sulfuric acid into the ground through a ring of injection wells. Staff from the Utah Division of Water Quality say this would not impact any water sources used for drinking, but residents disagree. And later, instead of hosting a gathering of hundreds for their traditional Thanksgiving community meal, Moab nonprofit WabiSabi is gearing up for delivery.
Show Notes:
Photo: A past community Thanksgiving meal/WabiSabi
Utah Division of Water Quality Public Hearing Notice
https://documents.deq.utah.gov/water-quality/facilities/lisbon-valley-copper/DWQ-2020-023283.pdf
Comments will be accepted through Friday, December 4th. They can be addressed to:
Drummond Earley
dearley@utah.gov
801-536-4088
The Salt Lake Tribune: Ranchers, landowners worry copper mine’s plan will taint groundwater in San Juan County
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/11/21/ranchers-landowners-worry/
WabiSabi Thanksgiving
https://wabisabimoab.org/thanksgiving
