News & Announcements

• 2016 Annual Agency Meeting
  • July 13, 2016 10:00AM-3:00PM
  • DEC Juneau Offices (410 Willoughby Ave) 2nd Floor Main Conference Room
  • Teleconference No. 1-800-791-2345
  • Participant code: 75434#
• Meeting Agenda (PDF)
  

  Annual Reports
  

  • Kensington Gold Mine 2015 Annual Report (PDF)
    • Attachment 1: Kensington Marine Mammal Report - 2015 Transportation Action Strategy, May 2014, Coeur Alaska, Juneau, AK
    • Attachment 2: 2015 Terrestrial Wildlife Monitoring Report of the Slate Lakes Basin, January 2015, Juneau AK
    • Attachment 3: Mountain Goat Population Monitoring near the Kensington Mine, Alaska - February 2015, ADFG
  • Mountain Goat Population Monitoring near the Kensington Mine, Alaska - February 2016, ADFG (PDF)
  • Waste Management Permit No. 2013DB0002 2015 Annual Report (PDF)
  • Waste Management Permit No. 2013DB0002 4th Quarter 2015 Report (PDF)
  NPDES and APDES 2015 Reporting

  Volume 1: Aquatic Studies at Kensington Mine, 2015 (PDF)

  Volume 2: Water Quality 2015 (PDF)

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  Project Description

  The Kensington Gold Mine is an underground long hole stoping and drift-and-fill operation using flotation processes to recover gold. The mine is located in southeast Alaska, in the Tongass National Forest between Berners Bay and Lynn Canal, approximately 45 air miles north of Juneau and 35 air miles south of Haines. It is situated on private and U.S. Forest Service lands within the City and Borough of Juneau and access to the mine is by air or sea. The project is operated by Coeur Alaska, Inc. (Coeur), a wholly owned subsidiary of Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation. The major Kensington Mine facilities include the Kensington underground mine, underground paste backfill plant, surface mill, tailings treatment facility, administrative and camp facilities, generator facilities, water treatment facilities, and marine dock facility. Power is supplied by on-site diesel generators. The mine was originally permitted in 2005, and operates 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. In 2015, approximately 669,837 tons of ore were mined, with 659,786 tons of ore processed through the mill facility. Approximately 21,829 tons of concentrate were shipped to an off-site refinery producing approximately 128,865 ounces of gold. As of 2015, Coeur Alaska employs approximately 332 people.

  Financial Assurance
  • FS Surety Bond Acceptance Letter dated 24 July 2013 (PDF)
  • Reclamation Surety Bond Summary Letter dated 28 June 2013 (PDF)
  • FS/DNR/DEC Reclamation/Closure/Post-Closure Bonding MOU (June 2012) (PDF)
  • FS/DNR Reclamation Bond Cooperative Management Agreement (2005) (PDF)
  Permits, Authorizations, and Approvals

  Alaska Department of Natural Resources
  Kensington Gold Mine Reclamation Plan Approval J20133158 (PDF)
  Certificate to Operate a Dam (FY2015-13-AK00308) (PDF)

  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
  2016 Surface Exploration Decision Memo (PDF)
  2014 Kensington Fuel Depot Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact (PDF)
  Approval letter of the April 2013 Kensington Reclamation Plan Update
  and reclamation cost estimate (PDF)

  Support Document:
  

  2013 Reclamation and Closure Plan Update for the Kensington Gold Project,
  Borough of Juneau, Alaska (April 2013) (PDF)

  • Appendix A Reclamation Cost Estimate - Kensington Gold Project (PDF)
  • Appendix B Kensington Project Tailings Storage Facility Consolidation Testing & Modeling (PDF)
  • Appendix C Kensington Project Tailing Storage Facility Design Figures (PDF)
  • Appendix D Monitoring and Maintenance Cost Tables (PDF)
  • Appendix E Private Land Owner's Statement (PDF)
  • Appendix F List of Mining Claims associated with the Kensington Gold Project (PDF)
  • Appendix G Post Closure Water Quality Standard and Monitoring (PDF)

   

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  Response to Comments on State of Alaska Authorizations 2005 (PDF)

  Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
  

  • Final Finding and Decision - Cascade Point tideline lease (PDF)
  • Final Finding and Decision - Slate Cove tideland lease (PDF)
  • Finding and Decision - Jualin Mine Road public access
  • Land Use Permit LAS 24488 - Jualin Mine Road (PDF)
  • Reclamation Plan Approval (6/3/2005)
  • December 26, 2012 Approval extension to June 30, 2013 (PDF)
  • July 24, 2012 Approval extension to Dec 31, 2012 (PDF)
  • March 6, 2012 Approval extension to Jun 30, 2012 (PDF)
  • June 23, 2011 Approval extension to Dec 31, 2011 (PDF)
  • Final Water Rights Authorizations
  • LAS 24432 - Johnson Creek (PDF)
  • LAS 24486 - Lower Slate Lakes tailings impoundment (PDF)
  • Temporary Water Use Permit TWUP J2012-01 (PDF) (effective 3/1/2012)
  • Final ACMP consistency determinations
  • AK 0406-13J - Kensington Mine (PDF)
  • AK 0406-14J - Cascade Point Breakwater and Dock (PDF)

  Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)

  • DEC Waste Management Permit 2013DB0002 (PDF)
  • APDES Permit No. AK0050571 (PDF) (2011)
    • DEC Certificate of Reasonable Assurance for NPDES AK0050571 (2005) (PDF)
  • DEC 401 Certification - Cascade Pt. Marine Terminal (PDF) (2005)
    USACE 404 Permit POA-1997-245-2
    
  • DEC 401 Certificate of Reasonable Assurance extension - Lynn Canal (2010) (PDF)
    USACE 404 Permit POA-1990-592-M6
    Note: In this action DEC separated the 401 Cert from the DEC Waste Mgmt Permit (WMP) and also issued an administrative extension of the WMP
    • DEC 401 Certificate of Reasonable Assurance - Lynn Canal (2005)
      USACE 404 Permit POA-1990-592-M
      Note: This functioned as both the DEC 401 Cert and the DEC Waste Management Permit for the facility (PDF)
  Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG)
  
  • Fish Habitat Permit FH05-I-0047 - Johnson Creek Bridge #1 (PDF) (5/6/2005)
  • Fish Habitat Permit FH05-I-0048 - Johnson Creek Bridge #2 (PDF) (5/6/2005)
  • Fish Habitat Permit FH05-I-0049 - Johnson Creek Infiltration Gallery (PDF) (5/6/2005)
  • Fish Habitat Permit FH05-I-0050 - Lower Slate Lakes Tailings (PDF) (5/6/2005)
  includes Amendment A (4/19/2007)
  Amendment B (8/28/2009)
  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE)
  
  • Public Notice for POA-1990-592-M6, Lynn Canal (PDF) (2009)
  • USACOE 404 Permit POA-1990-592-M, Lynn Canal (PDF) (2005)
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  
  • NPDES Permit (PDF)

  2011 APDES Permit Public Notice Archive

  Support Documents
  Final Plan of Operations -- May 2005 (PDF)
  Drawings:
  1 - Existing Disturbance (PDF)
  2 - Proposed Facilities (PDF)
  3 - Disturbance Boundaries (PDF)
  
  
  2004 Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Dec 2004)
  
  • Volume I (PDF) (31 MB)
  • Volume II (PDF) (46 MB)
  1997 Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Aug 1997)
  • Volume I (PDF) (2 MB)
  • Volume II (PDF) (13 MB)
  1992 Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Jan 1992)
  • Volume I (PDF) (35 MB)
  • Volume II (PDF) (27 MB)
  Inspection Reports
  • April 1, 2015 (PDF)
  • December 18, 2014 (PDF)
  • December 16, 2014 (PDF) - Golder Associates
  • October 1, 2014 (PDF)
  • May 27, 2014 (PDF)
  • February 13, 2014 (PDF)
  • September 17, 2013 USDA (PDF)
  • August 21, 2013 USDA (PDF)
  • July 16, 2013 USDA (PDF)
  • July 11, 2013
  • June 25, 2013 and July 16, 2013 DNR (PDF)

  Archive of prior Inspection Reports

  Annual Meetings and Annual Reports

  2016 Annual Agency Meeting

  July 13, 2016 10:00AM-3:00PM

  DEC Juneau Offices (410 Willoughby Ave) 2nd Floor Main Conference Room

  • Meeting Agenda (PDF)

  Annual Reports
  

  • Kensington Gold Mine 2015 Annual Report (PDF)
    • Attachment 1: Kensington Marine Mammal Report - 2015 Transportation Action Strategy, May 2014, Coeur Alaska, Juneau, AK
    • Attachment 2: 2015 Terrestrial Wildlife Monitoring Report of the Slate Lakes Basin, January 2015, Juneau AK
    • Attachment 3: Mountain Goat Population Monitoring near the Kensington Mine, Alaska - February 2015, ADFG
  • Mountain Goat Population Monitoring near the Kensington Mine, Alaska - February 2016, ADFG (PDF)
  • Waste Management Permit No. 2013DB0002 2015 Annual Report (PDF)
  • Waste Management Permit No. 2013DB0002 4th Quarter 2015 Report (PDF)
  NPDES and APDES 2015 Reporting

  Volume 1: Aquatic Studies at Kensington Mine, 2015 (PDF)

  Volume 2: Water Quality 2015 (PDF)

  Archive of prior Annual Meetings and Reports

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  For More Information Contact

  State of Alaska Large Mine Permitting Team

  Kyle Moselle

  Large Mine Coordinator

  Alaska Department of Natural Resources

  Office of Project Management and Permitting

  400 Willoughby Avenue, Suite 400
  Juneau, AK 99801

  Phone:(907) 465-6849
  Fax: (907) 465-3886

  Email: kyle.moselle@alaska.gov

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