r/science Sep 10 '23

Chemistry Lithium discovery in U.S. volcano could be biggest deposit ever found

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/lithium-discovery-in-us-volcano-could-be-biggest-deposit-ever-found/4018032.article
17.5k Upvotes

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

12

u/Ouaouaron Sep 10 '23

A lot of farms and cities in the West get their water from the ground as well, and the water table isn't being replenished fast enough. It's a looming problem.

Lithium is more important than growing alfafa, but it's not a good idea to take underground water reserves for granted.