Positive Feasibility Study Results For Back Forty Project

 

TORONTO - Aquila Resources Inc. reported the results of an independent open pit only Feasibility Study completed on its 100% owned zinc- and gold-rich Back Forty Project in Michigan. The Feasibility Study was compiled by Lycopodium Minerals Canada Ltd with support from experts and specialist consulting engineering companies in environmentally critical areas such as waste water treatment, tailings and waste rock management and mine design. 

"The completion of the Back Forty Project Feasibility Study is a significant milestone for Aquila and sets the stage for the next steps to develop this deposit," said Barry Hildred, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aquila. "Back Forty is well-positioned as a permitted project in a favorable mining jurisdiction that is close to existing infrastructure. We can now focus the Company's resources on the pre-construction phase at Back Forty while considering funding alternatives to complete the development of the Project."

The Back Forty Project is a polymetallic (zinc, gold, copper, silver, lead) Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) deposit located in Menominee County, Michigan. The Back Forty deposit was originally discovered in 2002, and is currently wholly-owned by Aquila. The Project is located approximately 55 km south-southeast from Iron Mountain, and approximately 19 km west of Stephenson, Michigan.

Mineralization at the Back Forty deposit consists of discrete zones of: 1) zinc or copper-rich massive sulphide (±lead), which may contain significant amounts of gold and silver, 2) stockwork stringer and peripheral sulphide, which can be gold, zinc, and copper-bearing (±lead/silver), 3) precious metal-only, low-sulphide mineralization, and 4) oxide-rich, precious metal-bearing gossan.

Major aspects of the Project include mine open pit, hydrological cut-off wall, oxide and sulphide processing plants, tailings management facility, waste rock storage facilities, contact and non-contact water basins, mine services, access road and a state of the art waste water treatment plant.  The reclamation and closure plan includes the backfilling of the open pit with waste rock and the capping of the tailings and waste rock facility followed by a minimum of 20 years of environmental monitoring as required by Michigan law.

Access to the facility is from the west side of the Project from the existing River Road. Principal access will be via a main security gate near the process plant. Power to the site will be provided via an incoming high voltage line from the east side of the Project.

The Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve Estimate for the Project is summarized in the table below.  Approximately 70% of the Mineral Reserve Estimate is in the Proven category. Only Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources are included in the open pit Mineral Reserve Estimate. The Mineral Reserve Estimate was prepared by P&E Mining Consultants Inc.

The mining operations will encompass a single large open pit that will be mined with conventional mining equipment in three pushback phases. The mining fleet will consist of major equipment used directly in the rock-moving operation including blast hole drills, hydraulic excavators, and 91 t haul trucks. Various support equipment will be required, such as dozers, graders, water trucks, and light vehicles for maintenance, personnel transport and mine supervision.

For scheduling purposes, the Back Forty open pit was subdivided into three phases. Mining commences in a small higher-grade starter pit and subsequently expands outwards by pushing back the pit walls.  This enables annual waste stripping quantities to be distributed over time to avoid highly variable annual total material mined tonnages.