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Residents urge Santa Cruz County to demand independent review after antimony detections linked to Hermosa mine
Summary
Multiple residents and scientists told the Board of Supervisors that antimony and other metals have appeared in local wells and creek discharges; speakers asked the board to schedule a study session with South 32 and ADEQ and to require independent, arm’s‑length monitoring and clear protections in any community benefits agreement.
Residents from Patagonia, Lake Patagonia and Rio Rico told the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 17 that they are seeing antimony and other metals in wells and stream discharges near the Hermosa mine and asked the board to press state regulators and the company for answers.
“Antimony in the discharge from South 32 to Harshaw Creek is now present in the drinking water along the creek and appears to exceed the drinking-water standard,” hydrologist Chris Gardner told the board, summarizing permit-sampling events and what he described as a misreported sample that later was shown to exceed the state's permit discharge limit. Gardner asked for a county study session that includes presentations from South 32 and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and urged the county not to adopt a staged…
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