Climate Change
The Renewable Energy Transition Has Residents of a Small Arizona Town on Edge
A plan to mine for vital minerals in the Patagonia Mountains will release millions of gallons of groundwater—and could impact the community’s consumable water.
PATAGONIA, Arizona—Deep in the Patagonia Mountains, puffs of cool air from a cavernous natural spring interrupt the desert heat. The water bubbles up from an underground aquifer and trickles into Alum Gulch, orange from minerals such as magnesium and calcium, left over from mining in the area.
The Renewable Energy Transition Has Residents of a Small Arizona Town on Edge