Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
Table 44. Age distribution in Cibola and McKinley Counties compared with State
County Population
Children
Under 5
(Percent)
Children 5 to
19 Years
(Percent)
Population 20
to 24 Years
(Percent)
Population 25
Years and
Over (Percent)
Cibola 27,213 1,892 (7.0) 5,671 (20.9) 1,821 (6.7) 17,829 (65.5)
McKinley 71,492 6,166 (8.6) 18,903 (26.4) 5,503 (7.7) 40,920 (57.2)
New Mexico 2,059,179 144,981 (7.0) 434,860 (21.1) 142,370 (6.9) 1,336,968 (64.9)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010
Since the safety risks are higher in the immediate vicinity of the uranium mine, census tracts were
examined to identify the age distribution in the ROI. The percentage of children under the age of
5 tended to be lower in the vicinity of the proposed mine than elsewhere in the ROI (figure 59).
From this it is concluded that young children are not especially exposed or at risk from the
proposed Roca Honda Mine.
Figure 59. Percent of population below the age of 5 years in the project ROI
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 269