The Zuni Pueblo Tribe is attempting to halt a controversial New Mexico coal mining project, accusing the miners of drilling into the wrong aquifer. Before the strip-mine is allowed to begin operations, the Salt River Project must prove to the state Mining and Minerals Division that it is able to pump water from the Atarque Aquifer to its mine site without disturbing the Zuni Salt Lake, which is held sacred to area tribes. A hydrologist working for the Zunis claims that the Salt River Project has drilled some wells too deep into the Dakota Aquifer, which lies beneath the Atarque. The U.S. Department of Interior has already declared the Dakota off limits to pumping in order to protect the lake. Both project and state officials insist that such a mistake is very unlikely, but Zuni leaders are asking for careful inspections.
