LOVINGTON, N.M. — A mine owned by a Denver company in southeastern New Mexico says it needs to use 3.2 billion gallons of water in the next two years, upsetting leaders in a county of 64,000 who say it could jeopardize access to clean water for residents who already are being urged to conserve.
Commissioners want the Bureau of Land Management to include Lea County in its environmental review of a proposal spearheaded by Intrepid Potash to extract ore used for fertilizer from an underground mine by flooding it with water from the county.
Commissioners voted last week to send a letter to the federal government to protest the potential use of water to flood the fertilizer mines, the Hobbs News-Sun reports.
The project would be an extension to Intrepid’s existing solar solution mine, about 20 miles east of Carlsbad. The commission’s letter comes as the BLM seeks public comment about the project extension.
Commissioner Ron Black was strongly opposed to the idea, especially because the water rights held by Intrepid in Lea County is fresh water.
“That water would be lost forever,” Black said. “If they’re having to use fresh water, that really bothers me. … It’s a large amount of water.”
