NioCorp Developments Ltd.
(“
NioCorp” or the “
Company”)
(TSX:NB) (OTCQX:NIOBF) (FSE:BR3) is pleased to announce that
County Commissions in all four Southeast Nebraska counties involved
in NioCorp’s proposed Elk Creek Project waterline have expressed
preliminary public support for the waterline, which will increase
Nebraska’s contribution to Missouri River water flows and may
deliver an added water resource to downstream agriculture and other
water consumers.
The proposed Elk Creek waterline would transport to
the Missouri River approximately 9,500 gallons per minute (GPM) of
naturally salty (“brackish”) water produced as the Elk Creek mine
is dewatered over the mine’s estimated 32-year lifespan.
Dewatering is a common practice in underground mining, and in this
project dewatering involves drawing water from bedrock that exists
below the area’s freshwater aquifer and beneath an additional 500
feet of impermeable limestone. The bedrock water is naturally
brackish and does not mix with any freshwater resource in the
project area.
NioCorp representatives recently presented the
outlines of its proposed 30-mile waterline in public meetings with
officials in Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee, and Richardson counties in
Southeast Nebraska. The preferred route is designed to
minimize impacts to existing paved roads and to streams and
wetlands.
None of the county officials expressed opposition
to the waterline, and a number of officials voiced public support
for the concept during the public meetings where the Company
presented its proposals, according to Mark A. Smith, NioCorp’s
Executive Chairman and CEO.
“We are very pleased with the initial reception by
local Nebraska leaders to the Elk Creek waterline concept,” said
Mr. Smith. “Scott Honan and his team have worked very hard to
minimize its potential impact on multiple levels. We examined
three main alternatives for the route as well as a number of sub
alternatives to each main alternative. The alignment we
intend to propose in our final Feasibility Study and for ongoing
permitting is one that avoids paved roads as well as minimizes
impacts to waterbodies and wetlands. It also maximizes the
use of existing rights of way as much as possible, so that we
minimize the need to access private land.”
“We are continuing to work to complete all
necessary environmental surveys for the preferred alignment, and
crews are in the field right now,” Mr. Smith added.
Bedrock Water Achieves Aquatic Freshwater
Quality Within 5,000 Feet of its Missouri River Run
The bedrock water is naturally brackish, and has a
salt content of approximately 18,000 milligrams/Liter (mg/L).
By comparison, seawater typically contains 35,000 mg/L of
salt. NioCorp has estimated that the addition of the bedrock
water will increase the average chloride content of the Missouri
River by approximately 5 parts per million (ppm or mg/L) to a total
of approximately 30 mg/L, from a natural background of
approximately 25 mg/L. These levels are well below the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s acute limit for chloride in
freshwater systems, which is 860 mg/l, and EPA’s chronic limit for
chloride in freshwater systems, which is 230 mg/l. Charts
showing the waterline’s chloride contributions to the Missouri
River in relation to EPA’s acute and chronic limits are provided
below.
“Elk Creek bedrock water will not appreciably
increase the Missouri River’s salinity in relation to either of
these regulatory limits,” said Scott Honan, President of Elk Creek
Resources Corporation (“ECRC”), the wholly owned
operating subsidiary of NioCorp. “Moreover, once released
into the Missouri River, this bedrock water is expected to mix
rapidly with the river’s flow and will achieve the standard of
aquatic freshwater quality within less than 5,000 feet from the
point of discharge. That raises the interesting potential
that this bedrock water could provide additional water resources
for downstream constituencies.”
According to a beneficial use assessment that
examined potential alternatives for this ECRC bedrock water,
produced by Frank Kwapnioski of H2Options Engineering LLC, the Elk
Creek waterline to the Missouri River is the best option. Of
the multiple alternatives assessed in the report, the Elk Creek
waterline provides the most timely, feasible, and reliable solution
while also potentially producing downstream beneficial value from
the bedrock water.
Kwapnioski, a water resources professional with
over 40 years of experience in Nebraska, said: “Not only is
this Elk Creek waterline the most effective option for NioCorp, but
the high dilutive potential of the Missouri River will make up to
9,500 gallons per minute of additional good quality water available
to downstream water users.”
Former Nebraska Lt. Governor Lavon Heidemann, who
farms near the proposed Elk Creek Project and who consults with
NioCorp, added: “The Elk Creek Superalloy Materials Project
has the potential to deliver a wide range of benefits to people
across southeastern Nebraska and to our entire state. The waterline
portion of the project was designed to minimize impacts on existing
county roads and to minimize environmental impacts on streams and
wetlands. I applaud county leaders for their willingness to
consider how we can complete this waterline as efficiently as
possible, given that its construction will help the Elk Creek
Project move to commercial reality that much faster.”
Background information:
A map showing the current proposed routing of the
Elk Creek waterline can be seen here:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/0dc771abd77956dad1fc6a1bb/images/a7d2e72e-9afb-49a6-8d4c-66ba33dfd6dc.jpg
A chart showing the “Incremental Chloride
Concentrations in the Missouri River: Elk Creek Bedrock Water vs.
EPA Acute Limits” can be seen here:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/0dc771abd77956dad1fc6a1bb/images/c9499bd0-3e92-48d3-854a-6bc1a5bd9710.png
A chart showing the “Incremental Chloride
Concentrations in the Missouri River: Elk Creek Bedrock Water
vs. EPA Chronic Limits” can be seen here:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/0dc771abd77956dad1fc6a1bb/images/8960a89a-1490-400f-b74a-c7574abbfb2d.png
On Behalf of the Board of Directors:
“Mark Smith” Mark Smith Executive Chairman, CEO and
Director
Source: NioCorp Developments, Ltd. @NioCorp
$NB $NIOBF #Niobium #Scandium #ElkCreek
For More InformationContact Jim
Sims, VP of External Affairs, NioCorp Developments, Ltd.,
720-639-4650, jim.sims@niocorp.com
About NioCorpNioCorp is developing
the Elk Creek Niobium / Scandium / Titanium project in Southeast
Nebraska. Niobium is used to produce High Strength, Low Alloy
("HSLA") steel, which is a lighter, stronger steel used in
automotive, structural, and pipeline applications. Scandium
can be combined with Aluminum to make an alloy with increased
strength and improved corrosion resistance. Scandium is also
a critical component of advanced solid oxide fuel cells.
Titanium is a key component of pigments used in paper, paint and
plastics and is also used for aerospace applications, armor and
medical implants.Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
Certain statements contained in this document may constitute
forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements
regarding the future path of the waterline, the potential future
effects of the waterline and the water discharged from the
Company’s Elk Creek project in to the Missouri river, future
support of the waterline and the Elk Creek Project by Nebraska
county leaders, the future benefits of the Elk Creek Project to
persons in southeast Nebraska and other similar statements. Such
forward-looking statements are based upon NioCorp’s reasonable
expectations and business plan at the date hereof, which are
subject to change depending on economic, political and competitive
circumstances and contingencies. Readers are cautioned that such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause a change in such
assumptions and the actual outcomes and estimates to be materially
different from those estimated or anticipated future results,
achievements or position expressed or implied by those
forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors
that could cause NioCorp’s plans or prospects to change include
changes in demand for and price of commodities (such as fuel and
electricity) and currencies; changes or disruptions in the
securities markets; legislative, political or economic
developments; the need to obtain permits and comply with laws and
regulations and other regulatory requirements; the possibility that
actual results of work may differ from projections/expectations or
may not realize the perceived potential of NioCorp’s projects;
risks of accidents, equipment breakdowns and labor disputes or
other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions; the possibility
of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in development programs;
operating or technical difficulties in connection with exploration,
mining or development activities; the speculative nature of mineral
exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing
quantities of grades of reserves and resources; risks involved in
the exploration, development and mining business and the risks set
forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s S-1
registration statement and other filings with the SEC at
www.sec.gov. NioCorp disclaims any intention or obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise.
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