Chino Valley residents hold protest in Prescott to challenge new mine after plan approval

Less than a block away from the finish line for Prescott's annual marathon on Saturday morning, about a dozen residents from rural Chino Valley displayed "Stop the Mine" signs and handed out information about the new aggregate mine that is slated to move into their residential neighborhood.

Many of the hundreds of people milling around downtown after the race expressed support for the protest. Numerous people commiserated with the residents, sharing their own experiences with mines while living in northern Arizona.

"Where do they want to put this one?" was a common question asked by passersby, with many mentioning the mines in Skull Valley, Bagdad and more before they ultimately learned about yet another new operation in Chino Valley. This helped to highlight the prevalence of often disruptive mines operating across Yavapai County.

The protest comes 10 days after State Mine Inspector Paul Marsh approved the reclamation plan for the mining operation, which outlines how the land will be restored after the 20-year contract expires.

Marsh's office previously held a public meeting on Sept. 21, which was required by law, where residents expressed various concerns about the mine including noise, dust, water use and more. They also pointed out discrepancies in the maps provided in the reclamation plan that seemingly included state trust land, which is protected from mining claims.

As a result, Marsh said his office would continue to review the plan and would hold another public meeting ahead of its approval but that did not happen.

While the plan approval was a blow to residents trying to stop the mine, they insisted that they are "Going to keep after it and slow them down at every opportunity," said resident Vickie Niesley.

"What else can we do? We're not giving up," she said.

Also at the Mine Inspector's meeting, a representative of the mine's operator Rock Supply LLC similarly committed to hosting a public meeting to answer questions about the operation but as of Saturday, the meeting details had yet to be announced.

The specific timeline for the start of the mine remained unclear. In the reclamation plan proposal, the mine operator stated that "mining operations will begin immediately upon plan approval in 2023 and are anticipated to continue through approximately 2043."

The proposal specifies the removal of approximately 616,330 cubic yards of aggregate over 20 years of operating on a 25.2-acre parcel in the Cedar Heights neighborhood between Chino Valley and Paulden.

Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.

The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chino Valley residents hold protest to challenge new mine after plan approval