Consequently, managing the Goldwater Range's geologic resources requires protecting the natural status of this geologic foundation. To date, the geologic resources of the Goldwater Range have been fairly well protected from wide spread disturbance by over 50 years of military withdrawal. Prior to withdrawal, a number of small mines and prospects were developed on what is now the Goldwater Range, but no large mining operations, such as the open-pit copper mine in Ajo, Arizona had begun. As part of the current land withdrawal effort, the Air Force has completed a mineral resource potential overview report that summarizes all known geologic and mineral potential work completed on the Goldwater Range. Surface water and groundwater are the two primary components to the water resources on the Goldwater Range.
Surface water is relatively sparse on the range.
It is an important resource for wildlife and is generally found in locations that have significant potential for archaeological study. Most surface water catchments on the Goldwater Range were formed by natural geologic processes prior to the time prehistoric people entered the area. However, there are a number of artificial or humanmade catchments present on the Goldwater Range that are still utilized. The groundwater of the Goldwater Range is also an important resource that deserves management attention. In addition to these shallow aquifers, the deep alluvial basins of the Goldwater Range undoubtedly contain many deep aquifers that could provide an important resource available for future development by agriculture or urban interests adjacent to the range.