At a time when the cost of cleaning up water pollution in the state is estimated in the billions, and citizens are still paying off the cost of bringing CAP water to populated desert areas, a permit to use and permanently pollute 750 to 1,200 gallons of water per minute for the next 20 years is about to be issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the use of the Carlota Mine near Globe.
Some environmental groups are asking if the rewards for our generosity in providing land, which includes a unique riparian watershed, for virtually nothing and an irreplaceable quantity of alluvial water for free are worth the benefits and the risk. The watershed flows directly into Lake Roosevelt.
The wisdom of this transaction is being questioned by state and local groups at a time when the quality of life is recognized as one of our most valuable resources and ecotourism in areas such as Sierra Vista are bringing in millions of dollars per year. Having acquired the land and mineral rights courtesy of the 1872 Mining Act, Cambior, Inc., a Canadian mining company, is justifying its resource use on the basis of economic development and future need for copper from the mine, even though supply is greater than demand in today's market.