Pat Reisner, a representative of South32, told the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 5 that construction at the Hermosa site is advancing and that company and county partners are working on a two‑phase Community Protection and Benefits Agreement. "We are continuing to ramp up efforts, around building the project," Reisner said during the board meeting.

The details matter to nearby communities: Reisner said crews have begun building foundations for a zinc processing plant and that shaft sinking is well underway. He described the processing plant as using newer technology intended to reduce physical footprint and energy use, saying the chosen equipment "takes 40% less space than conventional processing facilities" and uses about 30% less power. Reisner also explained that the design seeks to limit dust exposure by conveying and storing ore in sealed systems and by loading finished product into sealed containers prior to leaving site.

Why it matters: Residents and local groups have repeatedly raised concerns about air quality, water use and long‑term protections. South32 announced a metals and total suspended particles monitoring program across Patagonia, Sonoita and Nogales to provide baseline data before any production or hauling begins. Reisner said the monitors use high‑accuracy methods for metals and that the results will be posted on a public dashboard for transparency: "That information is now publicly available," he said.

On timing and permitting, Reisner said the federal NEPA process remains on the company’s published schedule. The draft environmental impact statement was released in May and public comments were taken in June; a final EIS and a draft record of decision are expected in early 2026, with a final record of decision by July 2026, and the Fish and Wildlife Service biological opinion is due in January 2026. Reisner told the board that the protections component of the CPBA must be developed after those federal decisions because the final EIS and biological opinion establish the baseline of required mitigation and conservation measures.

"We need to see what's gonna be in those documents," Reisner said, describing the protections work as contingent on the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife documents. South32 therefore proposes a two‑phase CPBA: an initial phase to move quickly on community benefits that cannot wait (child care, emergency management, health care, housing and workforce programs) and a second phase that lays out a protections roadmap after the federal documents are finalized.

On jobs and local hiring, South32 said construction will continue through the end of 2026, with commissioning beginning in early 2027 and a multi‑year ramp to full production by 2029–2030. Reisner said the company expects to see a large number of contractors during construction (nearly 1,000 at the peak of construction activity) and a long‑term workforce in the several‑hundreds range, with about 200+ roles at the Nogales “Centro” operations center. He added that the company is pursuing local hiring pipelines and workforce development partnerships with local colleges and highlighted recent hires who are local graduates.

The company also described plans to limit freshwater use in processing: a tailings handling system will reclaim water for reuse, with the company estimating roughly 90% of processing water can be recovered and recycled.

What the board heard from the public: During call to the public, community groups reiterated requests for more time and clarity for public review of CPBA materials. Anna Darren of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance told the board she wants assurance the public will have "a minimum 45 days" to review substantive CPBA materials and enough time to provide comments that can affect outcomes.

What’s next: Reisner said South32 and partners would begin sharing more regular progress updates and that phase‑1 CPBA benefits work is advancing now; the protections roadmap will be developed after the EIS and biological opinion are finalized. The company also said its air monitoring program will continue before and after operations begin so changes can be tracked against the published baseline.

Provenance: topicintro — "We are continuing to ramp up efforts, around building the project." (transcript block starting 6962.6147). topfinish — "Manganese, still no timing for a decision on whether we will mine that." (transcript block starting 8505.431).