PATAGONIA, Ariz.—When Becky and John Ball retired from careers in firefighting, they found their dream home in the foothills of Arizona’s famed Patagonia mountains. But less than a year after moving in, they worry they made a mistake. In June, a letter arrived in the mail informing them their home was within the “cone of depression” that a proposed mine in the nearby mountains would create, which could cause their well to go dry.

In the mountains above the mine, John Nordstrom got the same letter after his well’s water levels dropped 87 percent, according to data taken by the mine and shared with him. A local pond that was wet year-round on his property went dry after the mine began to dewater the aquifer to make way for underground mining.

Susan Wethington, just a few miles downstream f

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