Water availability may become a major constraint on new copper and lithium mining in the U.S. Southwest, even when projects have legal water rights and permits. The key issue is the gap between having a right to pump groundwater and having a reliable, affordable physical supply over several decades.
Nevada is especially stressed, with many groundwater basins already over-appropriated or overpumped, while Arizona mining also depends heavily on groundwater. New mines are responding by buying existing water rights, recycling water, or using less water-intensive extraction methods.
Water probably will…
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