While the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has terminated Minerals Research Inc.’s General Air Quality Permit for crushing and screening mining slag off Birch Street in the center of Cottonwood, MRI is authorized to continue to operate its facility under its pending Individual Air Quality Permit application, pursuant to Arizona Administrative Code R18- 2-510(d), ADEQ stated in a statement Feb. 28.
ADEQ announced on Feb. 21 that it had terminated MRI’s Consent Order, revoking the facility’s authorization to operate, based on results received on Feb. 13 that showed that the facility failed a performance test taken on Jan. 31. The results indicated that MRI was not meeting the emission limits outlined in ADEQ’s consent order.
“MRI’s operations must be conducted in accordance with all applicable state and federal Clean Air Act requirements,” ADEQ staff stated in the Feb. 28 press release. “ADEQ will continue to conduct required on-site inspections to ensure the facility’s operations maintain compliance.”
On Oct. 31, 2023, MRI submitted an individual air quality permit application for its Cottonwood facility located at 705 E. Birch St., which was deemed complete on Nov. 14. ADEQ is reviewing MRI’s application and expects to make these documents available to the public for review and comment in the following months.
“The air quality permitting process involves a comprehensive review of emissions calculations and associated air dispersion modeling and development of a draft air quality permit and technical supporting document,” ADEQ stated in the press release.
ADEQ has been monitoring air quality around MRI’s facility since Feb. 15 and has placed ambient air quality monitoring equipment at the Cottonwood Kids’ Park on the other side Verde Valley Fairgrounds to the east and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7400, which abuts the slag pile property to the north.
According to its press release, ADEQ will continue to conduct air quality monitoring as long as it takes to obtain the data necessary to provide to the Arizona Department of Health Services for its planned health consultation. The department will also use data collected when MRI is not in operation to determine background concentrations affecting surrounding properties.
