South32 investing in protecting environment while mining for zinc, maganese [Video]

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – South32 is investing more than $2 billion in the Southern Arizona Hermosa Project in the Patagonia Mountains, about 85 miles south of Tucson.

13 News got a better look at what that could mean for the mine on Thursday, April 25.

There is a water treatment plant that can filter 4,500 gallons a minute.

The mine is under construction and South32 is hoping to get zinc and manganese out of the earth.

The company said it is working on wells and two shafts, and hopes to mine over the next couple of years.

“Those are materials, minerals, commodities that are important for the national security and economic interest of the country,” said Hermosa Project President Pat Risnger. “But where we’re very reliant on foreign supply chains.”

South32 said 96 percent of the battery-grade manganese in the world comes from China, which is why it is important for a company to mine for it in the U.S.

To mine those …