Consultant finds no major objections to copper project

third-party review of the Florence Copper Project concluded if it is conducted properly in all respects, it “could be implemented in a manner that is consistent with the goals of the town of Florence General Plan.” The town of Florence hired independent water resource consultants Montgomery & Associates (www.elmontgomery.net) of Tucson to review the FCP’s compatibility with the “Environmental Planning” and ‘“Water and Wastewater” elements of the General Plan. “Montgomery and Associates is recognized around the world for its work in hydraulic and hydro-geologic groundwater modeling,” Dan Johnson, Curis manager of environment and technical services, said in a prepared statement from Curis Resources, owner of the FCP. “The fact that they conducted a thorough review of our groundwater flow modeling and found no substantial problems confirms that the FCP can be operated safely without impacts to groundwater quality or availability in Florence or the region.” But FCP critic Justin Merritt said to say the FCP “could be consistent with” General Plan goals is too simplistic a conclusion: “We feel the statement ... is taken out of context, does not match the detailed findings of the report, and frankly on the discussion related to land use compatibility is outside the expertise of Montgomery & Associates. “Hydrologists do not have the expertise to make any evaluation on whether this heavy industrial project is compatible with the family communities that town voters approved in the General Plan,” Merritt wrote in response to an email request for comment. Merritt is a manager with major neighboring landowner Southwest Value Partners and the FCP opposition group Protect Our Water Our Future.

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