As the United States aims to mine land to extract valuable minerals like copper and lithium from the ground, the mining processes could compromise the surrounding water supply.
While many mines must be drained before operations can begin to mitigate flood risk, draining the groundwater also harms regional water quality and supply.
Likewise, many mining operations require an abundance of water to process metals, especially lithium evaporation ponds.
With climate change already threatening U.S. water supply, the nation’s initiative for domestic mining could only accelerate the loss of water across the country.
