Final environmental impact statement

the long version

Intrepid Potash, Inc. (Intrepid) is proposing to extract the potash remaining in inactive underground mine workings by constructing and operating an in-situ solution mine project, located approximately 20 miles northeast of Carlsbad in Eddy County, New Mexico. Instead of excavating the remaining potash in the remaining underground pillars and walls of the inactive workings, the process would inject saline water into the inactive mine workings and extract a mineral-rich solution. This mineral-rich solution would be pumped to the surface and transported to evaporation ponds. Once the solution evaporates in the ponds, the potassium-bearing salts would be harvested from the ponds and transported to a newly constructed mill for ore refinement.