Conservation groups and residents tell Nogales council draft EIS for Hermosa mine understates water, air and biodiversity risks

Carolyn Schafer, a board member with the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance, told the Nogales City Council on Aug. 6, 2025, that the Forest Service’s draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the proposed Hermosa Minerals Project is legally and scientifically inadequate and understates risks to groundwater, air and imperiled species.

Schafer said PARA coordinated a team of roughly two dozen subject-matter experts and submitted a 221‑page organizational comment during the DEIS comment period, which closed June 23. "The draft environmental impact statement failed to fully analyze the baseline conditions of all potentially affected resources — water, air, wildlife, cultural and recreation," she said, and asked the Forest Service to prepare a revised draft DEIS before any approval.

The presentation drew multiple residents who described water and health problems they tie to local mining activities. Susan Weddington, who said she lives 4.5 miles downstream from the mine and has relied on delivered water since 2021, told council members her well now tests with lead concentrations "over 3,000% over the maximum contaminant level…