05 NOVEMBER 2025
Recently, the team at our Hermosa project in Arizona, followed through with their commitment to the community to openly share air quality monitoring data, launching a new, publicly accessible dashboard.
Air quality monitoring stations and the dashboard, which can be seen here have been established in direct response to community interest, with stations built by a third party, and set up near the communities of Patagonia, Nogales, and Sonoita. The monitoring stations use Environmental Protection Agency-standard methods for collecting data, and third-party analysed results are published on the dashboard.
With operations at Hermosa yet to commence, it may seem early to be monitoring air quality, but the intent is to establish baseline data for comparison, as requested by the community, to know more about the distribution of metals in the air before and during mining operations.
The stations will gather data about levels of airborne manganese, lead, zinc, silver, copper and total suspended particulates from near current and future traffic routes associated with Hermosa, made available on the dashboard monthly. Real time meteorological information such as wind direction and speed, which provides information on the general direction and location of emissions, will also be available.
Pat Risner, South32 Hermosa President, said the dashboard and monitoring will help provide residents and stakeholders with clear, reliable information about air quality conditions in the areas surrounding Hermosa.
“These monitors are an important step in ensuring our community has reliable data about local air quality,” Pat said.
“We’ve listened to the community, in particular their thoughts around concerns for metals in dust from traffic routes, and this program, including the public dashboard, is designed to provide clarity and peace of mind.”
Other measures planned to manage air quality once Hermosa is in operation, include suppressing dust with water sprays during mining and crushing, as well as transporting ore in sealed containers and through an enclosed conveyor system during above-ground processing.
The new air quality monitoring dashboard launch is another example of how Hermosa is being designed as our first ‘next generation mine’, with automation and technology at the forefront.
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