Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
prepared for that mine project. There are additional permit applications for existing mining
operations, and occasional exploration permit requests filed with the MMD. Active uranium
exploration occurs in the vicinity of the project site.
Other past, present, and foreseeable actions that contribute to impacts on soil resources in the Mt.
Taylor area and the two-county region include gravel mining, recreational uses, road use and
construction, timber harvesting, livestock grazing, and utility line construction. The proposed
Roca Honda Mine would contribute to these soil impacts, but with implementation of BMPs and
mining reclamation, predicted long-term impacts are limited compared to the size of Mt. Taylor
or the Grants Mineral Belt, and are expected to be minor after reclamation.
Water Resources
Possible effects of the proposed action on surface and groundwater quantity and quality were
prominent in the scoping comments. The existing conditions described below will be altered
primarily by: (1) road and surface facility construction and operations, including storm water
facilities and various ponds; (2) pumping of groundwater to allow shaft construction and mining
of ore, and subsequent recovery after mining ceases; (3) discharge of treated mine water; and (4)
backfill of the mine workings.
Affected Environment
This section provides information related to the existing quantity and quality of the surface water
and groundwater resources of the region and the proposed project area.
Surface Water Resources
New Mexico is characterized by high mountains, expansive plains and plateaus, river gorges, and
broad valleys. The State’s climate is arid to semiarid. About half of annual precipitation is
received during a period with brief but intense summer storms, commonly referred to as the
“Monsoon season.” Statewide, the annual average precipitation is much less than evaporation
from open water surfaces. New Mexico has 108,649 miles of streams, of which 6 percent are
perennial and 94 percent are ephemeral or intermittent (New Mexico Water Quality Control
Commission, 2010).
The RHR permit area lies within the middle portion of the San Mateo Creek watershed. Figure 32
and figure 33 identify the location of surface watercourses and the size of the watersheds in and
adjacent to the permit area. Watercourses in the vicinity of the RHR permit area are identified as
ephemeral, intermittent, or perennial in figure 33.
The following sections provide a general overview of the surface water environment that is likely
to be affected by the RHR project. An evaluation of the potential environmental consequences to
surface water resources follows.
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 111