The purpose of the european mine ventura mine remediation design is to manage and address hazardous substances effectively for protection of human health and the environment

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service R3-Southwestern Region awarded a Cooperative Agreement of $375,687.92 to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality on April 1, 2026, under the Good Neighbor Authority (CFDA 10.691) program.

The award funds engineering design and biological assessment for mine waste remediation at the abandoned European and Ventura mines located on the Sierra Vista Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest in southern Arizona. Work addresses hazardous substances remaining at these sites to protect human health and the environment and to comply with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, with remediation design activities scheduled for fall 2026.

Performance runs through March 31, 2031. Work is performed in Arizona.

The Good Neighbor Authority program authorizes the Forest Service to enter into cooperative agreements with states, counties, and federally recognized Indian tribes to conduct restoration and recreation services across jurisdictional boundaries on federal lands. Negotiated between the Forest Service and the cooperating agency, agreements may be executed for up to 10 years and are approved on the basis of negotiated work products, project objectives, and relationship to regional forest and watershed health priorities. Environmental documentation under the National Environmental Policy Act remains the responsibility of the Forest Service.

Activities include engineering design and biological assessment for mine waste remediation in fall 2026 to comply with comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability act. Volumes of mine waste and dangerous open mine features remain at the abandoned european and ventura mines located on the sierra vista ranger district of the coronado national forest in southern arizona.