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Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026

Will Ripsey Wash in Pinal County be turned into a tailings storage location for mining waste?

Mia Osmonbekov, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
yes

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a project by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company), a U.S. subsidiary of Grupo Mexico, to support its copper mine operation south of State Route 177 in Pinal County, which includes a tailings storage facility.

According to the 2019 Bureau of Land Management final environmental impact statement (EIS), the Ripsey Wash Tailings Storage Facility will occupy 2,636 acres out of the total 7,402-acre disposal site.  

ASARCO acknowledges that mining activities in Ripsey Wash could lead to environmental destruction and adversely affect 29 sites protected by the federal government for historical significance.  The site could also reroute parts of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, and under its proposed action plan, the company “would have no requirement to mitigate noise and visual impacts to the White Canyon Wilderness, White Canyon ACEC, and the Arizona Trail.”

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