Almaden Minerals Ltd. (“Almaden” or “the Company”; AMM:
TSX; AAU: NYSE American) is pleased to announce that it
has partnered with a local community group focused on irrigation
development, and together with them coordinated with the Federal
Government water authority (“CONAGUA”), to co-fund a new water
reservoir in Zacatepec, a community located nearby the proposed
Ixtaca mine development area.
This reservoir is one of the projects identified
which could bring immediate benefits to the local area even prior
to Ixtaca development, and together with our partners we have now
completed the first stage. Next steps will involve adding new
pipelines, tanks, and other structures to enhance the irrigation
potential in support of local agricultural production.
Zacatepec is located within the social area of
influence of the Ixtaca project, and has a population of
approximately 240 people. On February 27th, 2020, Zacatepec hosted
the opening ceremony for the reservoir with the Company, municipal
representatives of CONAGUA, the local association of the
“Irrigation Group of Small Producers A.C.” of the community of
Zacatepec, and other community members. After the blessing of the
water reservoir, the ceremony was finished with a meal in thanks
for completion of the first stage of the project.
A representative of the “Irrigation Group of
Small Producers A.C.” observed that this reservoir "will not only
help to boost our current harvests, but also ensure that fewer
people will have to leave the community due to lack of
employment".
Almaden has been supporting local initiatives
for many years, and is pleased to do so particularly when it can be
as impactful as enhancing access to fresh water and expanding local
irrigation capacity. As the Ixtaca project advances we look forward
to additional projects we can support in partnership with local
communities and authorities which enhance and diversify economic
development opportunities in the region of the Ixtaca project.
Almaden’s long-standing consultation with
communities local to the Ixtaca project, which was formalized in
2017 under the highly structured social engagement mechanism known
in Mexico by its acronym, “EVIS” (Trámite Evaluación de Impacto
Social), has given the Company a deep appreciation for the
immediate needs of local areas and generated valuable input to
Ixtaca project design which has enhanced the project’s potential to
permanently boost the quality of life and economic opportunities in
local areas.
Photos of the commissioning event and
celebration are attached below, and additional information
regarding Almaden’s long-standing interaction with this and other
local communities is available on its website and in its 2019
report on Corporate Social Responsibility.
Background to the Ixtaca Project and
Water Management
Almaden has been actively engaged with
communities local to the Ixtaca project for many years. The Company
has now hosted 57 community dialogue and technical sessions locally
with subject matter experts where appropriate, and offered
opportunities to local people tour active mines with 500 people
participating to date. The Company has had over 20,000 recorded
interactions and has visited 35 communities with a mobile
information module while holding nine large information meeting
attended by over 4,100 people since 2012.
As noted above, this engagement resulted in the
initiation of an “EVIS” in 2017, which formalized and expanded
opportunities to engage with local people. A key component of this
engagement is to understand areas of concern that can be mitigated
in mine development, and also identify opportunities which can be
leveraged in mine planning.
For example, this engagement was one of the key
reasons for the Company to adopt dry-stack filtered tailings, as
laid out in the 2019 Feasibility Study. It has also helped to
crystallize planning around the construction of a large water
reservoir (different from the one announced today in Zacatepec)
which will be built during construction and will serve the mine and
local communities during mine operations. This reservoir will be
built as a permanent structure and made available to local
governments at no charge upon mine closure to permanently enhance
local agriculture and community water access. Currently,
communities in Ixtaca lack the infrastructure to fully benefit from
surface water, and the majority of this resource is lost or
underused.
The data necessary for planning the water
reservoir has been collected since 2014 by Almaden, with
independent engineering oversight. Together with our consultants we
have maintained a detailed water monitoring program to measure the
pre-mining water quality conditions and to establish a baseline
against which potential future impacts to surface
water and groundwater from mining
activity can be evaluated.
The program includes 8 groundwater monitoring
wells and 12 surface water monitoring stations. Rainfall in the
Ixtaca vicinity falls primarily during a relatively short rainy
season. With no local water storage facilities, as noted the flash
flows of water are currently lost to the local
communities.
In the 2019 Feasibility Study the large water
reservoir is engineered to store 1.8 million cubic meters of water,
and during operations is anticipated to supply in excess of 2,000
cubic meters of water per day to local areas, with a minimum of 500
cubic meters per day.
John A. Thomas, P. Eng., VP Project Development
of Almaden, and a Qualified Person as defined by National
Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"), has reviewed and approved the
scientific and technical contents of this news release. For further
information on the Ixtaca Project, see the Technical Report
entitled “Ixtaca Gold-Silver Project, Puebla State, Mexico, NI
43-101 Technical Report on the Feasibility Study”, with an
effective date of January 24, 2019, which is available on
SEDAR.
About AlmadenAlmaden Minerals
Ltd. owns 100% of the Ixtaca project in Puebla State, Mexico,
subject to a 2.0% NSR royalty held by Almadex Minerals Ltd. The
Ixtaca Gold-Silver Deposit was discovered by Almaden in 2010.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
“Morgan
Poliquin”
Morgan J. Poliquin, Ph.D., P.Eng.President, CEO and DirectorAlmaden
Minerals Ltd.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain of the statements and information in
this news release constitute “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 and “forward-looking information” within the
meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. All
statements, other than statements of historical fact, are
forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking
statements or information in this news release relate to, among
other things: the outcome of the Amparo proceedings; the outcome of
the challenge by the Company to the applicable Mexican Authorities’
currently position that the Original Concessions are active
and owned by Almaden and the New Concessions are left without
effect; the outcome of the Company’s formal request for SEMARNAT to
suspend the MIA; and the prospects for raising production financing
and preparing for construction in connection with the Ixtaca
Project.
These forward-looking statements and information
reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events
and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions, including
assumptions in respect of both Almaden’s and the applicable Mexican
Authorities’ legal positions, that, while considered reasonable by
the Company, are inherently subject to significant legal,
regulatory, business, operational and economic uncertainties and
contingencies, and such uncertainty generally increases with
longer-term forecasts and outlook. These assumptions include:
stability and predictability in Mexico’s mineral tenure, mining,
environmental and agrarian laws and regulations, as well as their
application and judicial decisions thereon; continued respect for
the rule of law in Mexico; prices for gold, silver and base metals
remaining as estimated; currency exchange rates remaining as
estimated; availability of funds; capital, decommissioning and
reclamation estimates; mineral reserve and resource estimates;
prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services
(including transportation); no labour-related disruptions; all
necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals being received
in a timely manner; the ability to secure and maintain title and
ownership to properties and the surface rights necessary for
operations; community support in the Ixtaca Project; and the
ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The
foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.
The Company cautions the reader that
forward-looking statements and information involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
actual results and developments to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or
information contained in this news release. Such risks
and other factors include, among others, risks related to:
political risk in Mexico; crime and violence in Mexico; corruption;
environmental risks, including environmental matters under Mexican
laws and regulations; impact of environmental impact assessment
requirements on the Company’s planned exploration and development
activities on the Ixtaca Project; certainty of mineral title and
the outcome of litigation; community relations; governmental
regulations and the ability to obtain necessary licences and
permits; risks related to mineral properties being subject to prior
unregistered agreements, transfers or claims and other defects in
title; changes in mining, environmental or agrarian laws and
regulations and changes in the application of standards pursuant to
existing laws and regulations which may increase costs of doing
business and restrict operations; as well as those factors
discussed the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Almaden's Annual
Information Form and Almaden's latest Form 20-F on file with the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington,
D.C. Although the Company has attempted to identify important
factors that could affect the Company and may cause actual actions,
events or results to differ materially from those described in
forward-looking statements or information, there may be other
factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as
anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that
our forward-looking statements or information will prove to be
accurate. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements or information. Except as required by
law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly
any revisions to forward-looking statements or information
contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances
after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated
events.
Contact Information:
Almaden Minerals Ltd. Tel. 604.689.7644 Email:
info@almadenminerals.comhttp://www.almadenminerals.com/
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aa7fd33f-2e55-4cda-b251-94bf1780cd7f
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ba8acc4a-91f7-4e0c-be6d-2a7175899a20
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/088c90cf-14e8-4e0f-8377-2f715d91bc94
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b9b6e077-7980-4ecc-9973-bf148e7413bc
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bb19057c-1854-42dc-b318-4c0d9324f5ca
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/01fb03cd-05f1-482f-9b99-d08bb2c564cc
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