Water Conservation & Advocacy
Here to Make Everyone's Lives Better
At Arizona Evolving Change, we are here to make a difference with the lives of others, and educate others on how they can help. In Superior, Arizona, and throughout there are tons, over 100,000 abandoned mines, with few in use. Within this small town a little bit out of Phoenix, these coper and silver mines heavily affect the areas and health of people around them, including their precious water. Nowadays, a new mine is trying to be built in the Oak Flat Area, and we are here to show others the many reasons as to why another mine could be and will be harmful to the world we live in.
About
The Full Story
Mining has been around for hundreds of years, but today, there are better ways to get resources for a more envrionmentally friednly, and overall safer plan.
Effects on Others?
Mining has numerous effects on the world we live, including sinkholes, contamination of soil, loss of biodiversity, etc. Especially in Superior, one of the main problems with opening up a new mine close to others is with the contamination of water, in who everyone needs in their daily life. This area gets their water from underground, but with increased mining happening in this area, the soil has the possibility and has been contaminated before. because the water runs through these pipes along the soil, this precious water could be contaminated as well, leaving people sometimes ill. Also, let's recall that there are Indians living close to this area, the Apache to be specific, and if this new mine get's built, part of their culture, their families, their sacred land, get's taken from them. Learn more about the consequences of this Oak Flat copper mine down below.
Who is Affected?
With the want of installment for a new copper mine in Superior, the impact on others will greatly increase, specifically the residents nearby, the Native Americans, and the climber community. The copper residue could cause a contaminated source of water for these residents of the small town, as these deep pipes going up to the surface sometimes leak and could cause massive issues. Secondly, the Native American population is affected, as this new copper mine is going to be built on their reservation land, in which we already took enough land away form them. And lastly, there are multiple climbing places out in the Superior/Queen Creek area that would be closed down due to the mass production of copper for this huge mine.
What's Going to Happen?
Oak Flat Area
At first, when the Native Americans protested for the mine to be stopped, the Resolution copper project continued with the production, and were planning to start soon, which will cause a ton of issues. Fortunately, the U.S. Forest Service is set to withdraw an environmental report it had released earlier that paved the way for a land swap for the Resolution Copper project located in Arizona. In January of 2021, the Forest Service released the final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision for the copper project and land exchange. Since its release, the agency has said to have gotten significant input from collaborators, partners, and the public, raising concerns over this mine's impact. As a result, the agency has now been directed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to rescind the statement and draft record of decision for the project.
