Phosphate Mining Process

Operations at Smoky Canyon consist primarily of open-pit mining for phosphate ore, milling the ore into a fine powder, then mixing the powdered ore with water to create a slurry. The ore slurry is transported via an 87-mile underground pipeline to Pocatello, Idaho, where it is manufactured into fertilizer at Simplot’s Don Plant. Because of the steep terrain and elevation changes along the route, the pipeline is re-pressurized at Conda, Idaho, near Soda Springs.

An average of 200 people work at the mine as operations go on 24 hours a day to extract ore, haul overburden and ore, mill and create slurry. Annually, the J.R. Simplot Co. spends $22 million in local communities for goods and services such as diesel fuel, large equipment parts and repair, tires, restaurants and caterers. In addition, $18.2 million is channeled annually into the economies of local communities – primarily Afton, Wyoming, and Soda Springs, Idaho – through employee salaries, wages, and benefits.