DEQ recognizes Lucky Friday
File photo by CHANSE WATSON Lance Boylan with Hecla Mining Co. at the 2018 Environmental Science & Health Fair explains the water purification process they use at the mine to local high schoolers.
MULLAN — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality recently recognized Hecla Mining as a 2019 Pollution Prevention Champion for reducing waste and pollution at its Lucky Friday mine.
“The upgrades, process modifications and recycling projects that have been implemented at Hecla’s Lucky Friday mine have resulted in significant reductions of waste, water and energy used by the mine for the production of silver, zinc and lead,” said Ben Jarvi, DEQ’s pollution prevention coordinator. “With growing demand for these metals, eliminating waste and pollution from production is more important than ever.”
Pollution prevention includes any technique that reduces or eliminates the generation of pollution. In contrast to most pollution control strategies that manage a pollutant’s effect on the environment after it has been generated, pollution prevention seeks to eliminate or minimize the amount of wastes and pollutants before they are generated.
Specifically, the Lucky Friday was recognized for:
- Investing in state-of-the art water treatment facilities that reduced the concentration of lead and zinc in the water released by more than 95 percent.
- Creating a water recycling program that reduced the average freshwater use by 95 percent in the Concentrator Plant.
- Reducing waste generation by minimizing hazardous waste, improving recycling and repurposing.
- Partnering with the State Department of Transportation to repurpose approximately 120,000 cubic yards of waste highway material as part of our tailing’s impoundment reclamation project.
To qualify for pollution prevention recognition, Hecla Mining submitted an application demonstrating how they incorporated pollution prevention into daily operations by reducing raw materials or toxic materials purchased, hazardous or solid waste generated, water, energy or fuel used, or air pollutants emitted.
“One of the driving features behind waste reduction at the mine is the implementation of an Environmental Management System that focuses significantly on risk reduction. This policy has allowed the company to systematically identify and eliminate environmental hazards and the wastes associated with them, resulting in significant reductions in pollution,” Jarvis said.
The mine’s pollution reduction successes include process modifications that have reduced water use by more than 125 million gallons annually, wastewater treatment plant upgrades that have reduced lead and zinc concentrations in effluent by 96.5% and 97.5% respectively, and waste management programs that recycled 4,200 gallons of used oil, 2,572 pounds of lead-acid batteries, 55 gallons of antifreeze and 56,960 pounds of scrap iron/steel in 2018.
The mine has also purchased more than 21,000,000 kWh of renewable energy for its electricity needs, and implemented a biodiesel purchasing program to cover its fuel needs, totaling 168,095 gallons in 2018.
“Our Lucky Friday mine’s commitment to responsible mining practices, to the community we work in and to the environment is reaping real benefits to ecological systems, to our neighbors and to Idaho,” said Phillips S. Baker Jr., Hecla president and CEO. “We commend the workers at the Lucky Friday for their hard work and commitment to reducing our environmental footprint. It is an honor to be recognized by the DEQ.”