Thursday, October 06, 2011

Potash, parks, and water


Is there enough water in northeast Arizona to support anticipated growth, including possible potash mining in the Holbrook area? That question is posed by the Arizona Journal in the second part of a 3-part series on water use in Arizona that was published today, but they won't really answer the question until the next installment. The amount of water used in potential mining will depend on whether it's solution mining or underground operations. The former is much more water-intensive. [right, potash sample. Credit, USGS]

Also today, Cronkite News published a summary of the potash exploration around Holbrook with an emphasis on the possible impacts on Petrified Forest National Park. They confirmed an early report that "American West Potash has agreed to locate its surface facilities outside the park boundary with input from park officials.

They quote AWP president Pat Avery saying, “Our goal is to site a surface facility that absolutely can’t be seen from the park.”

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