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South 32 tells Santa Cruz supervisors one exceedance prompted retest and plant upgrades; residents press for stronger monitoring
Summary
At a Jan. 2 study session, South 32 president Pat Reisner said a single monthly grab sample above the 6 ppb antimony limit was retested and is being addressed with a plant modification; residents and local hydrogeologists pushed for clearer ADEQ reporting, broader monitoring and stronger community protections.
Pat Reisner, president of South 32 Hermosa, told the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 2 that the company found one Aquifer Protection Permit (APP) grab sample above the 6 parts‑per‑billion antimony limit and immediately ordered a retest, reported the result to the Arizona portal and to ADEQ, shut the higher‑antimony well offline and is implementing a second‑phase treatment modification to increase antimony removal.
The exchange grew out of an extensive public‑comment period in which residents and independent experts urged faster action and clearer reporting. Hydrogeologist Chris Gardner told the board that sampling and publicly available data show antimony concentrations above permanent limits several times since October 2024 and warned that discharges could mobilize contaminated sediments downstream toward private wells. Gardner described subreaches of Harshaw Creek where conductivity and dissolved solids increase and said some local well results exceeded drinking‑water standards.
Reisner said the plant, which began service in August 2023, operates under two distinct permits with…
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