Yuma-Wellton Cobalt Project
Independent Information & Community Resource
This independent website provides organized access to official documents, agency correspondence, permit information, meeting updates, and community questions related to the proposed EVelution Energy cobalt processing facility near Wellton and Yuma, Arizona.
About the Project
The proposed EVelution Cobalt facility is intended to become the first cobalt processing facility of its kind in the United States, supporting domestic battery-material production, critical-mineral supply chains, and national-security objectives. The project is planned for the Wellton/Yuma area of Arizona.
Purpose
We are Yuma County residents following and researching the proposed EVelution cobalt processing facility and related industrial developments.
We support responsible domestic production of critical materials and recognize the importance of strengthening U.S. supply chains.
At the same time, we believe it is important to understand how large-scale industrial projects may affect:
- water resources,
- infrastructure,
- emergency services,
- environmental systems,
- and long-term community well-being.
Our interest extends beyond a single facility. We are also examining broader regional trends, including:
- data centers,
- semiconductor manufacturing,
- battery-material production,
- mineral processing,
- and other resource-intensive industries that are increasingly locating in the Southwest.
As part of this effort, we are tracking public meetings, government documents, permitting activities, community questions, agency responses, and other project updates related to the proposed EVelution facility.
Project Updates & Events
Upcoming Public Information Meeting
November 5, 2026 – Public Information Meeting Confirmed
A public information meeting regarding the proposed EVelution Energy cobalt sulfate processing facility has been announced by Yuma County Supervisor Darren Simmons.
Public Facebook post by Wellton Communications
Date: November 5, 2026
Time: 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Location: FSBC, Wellton, Arizona
According to Supervisor Simmons’ public statement, representatives are expected to include:
- EVelution Energy
- Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District (WMIDD)
- Arizona Department of Water Resources (requested)
- Arizona Game and Fish Department (requested)
Additional announcements and meeting details are expected as the date approaches.
New Groundwater Information
Since the meeting was announced, new information about the project’s groundwater investigation and planned water use has become publicly available.
In a July 27, 2026 press release, EVelution Energy announced that its groundwater investigation had identified groundwater resources it considers sufficient to support the facility throughout its expected operating life, including potential future increases in production capacity.
The company also disclosed that groundwater within the target zones has elevated salinity and would generally require treatment before conventional agricultural use.
EVelution now estimates net freshwater consumption of approximately 34 acre-feet per month, or 408 acre-feet annually. The company states that approximately 70% of process water would be recycled and reused, with no on-site process-water discharge or tailings disposal.
The press release also confirms that the project is outside an Arizona Active Management Area (AMA) and states that groundwater withdrawals at the site therefore are not subject to volumetric pumping limits.
Related Documents:
View the EVelution press release and highlighted key statements
View the BasinWells groundwater report conclusions and highlighted key findings
Groundwater Use and Long-Term Water Supply — A Closer Look
Two figures are on the table — but they’re not measuring the same thing:
- The County’s evaluation estimates a gross water demand of approximately 37 million gallons per month — i.e., before any recycling is factored in.
- EVelution’s July 2026 press release states that net freshwater consumption — after approximately 70% process-water recycling — is expected to average approximately 34 acre-feet per month (408 acre-feet annually, ≈11.08 million gallons per month).
- EVelution’s press release does not state a gross (pre-recycling) water demand figure. If we back-calculate one — dividing the net 34 acre-feet/month by 30% (i.e., reversing the 70% recycling rate) — it implies a gross draw of roughly 113 acre-feet per month (≈37 million gallons).
That estimate is our own calculation, not a figure EVelution has published, but it lands close to the County’s independently stated 37 million gallon figure. - This raises a direct question: Does the County’s 37 million gallon/month figure represent the facility’s total gross water demand? If so, it appears consistent with EVelution’s net figure once recycling is applied — but EVelution should confirm this directly, since the company itself has not published a gross number.
The recommended well design would draw groundwater from two different depth intervals — approximately 300–520 feet and 1,160–1,500 feet.
This raises a threshold question:
Are these zones sufficiently separated to prevent significant movement or mixing of groundwater between them during long-term pumping?
That question, and the ones it leads to, are laid out below:
1. Which groundwater will EVelution actually pump?
EVelution talks publicly about its ability to treat groundwater with high salinity. But its own consultant recommends wells that draw from both the lower-quality Upper Sandy Unit and the higher-quality Lower Unit (1,160–1,500 feet down). So which one will actually get built?
2. Why does the drilling report point to the deeper groundwater for WMIDD irrigation?
The report recommends developing only the Lower Unit for WMIDD irrigation, because it has less chloride and fewer dissolved solids. What irrigation use is actually planned here — where, and who benefits from it?
3. Where does this groundwater come from, and how fast is it replaced?
Is the upper groundwater largely refilled by decades of Colorado River irrigation? Is the deeper Lower Unit being refilled too, or is it much older water that took far longer to accumulate? The report pages we have don’t say.
4. Could pumping change the quality of the deeper groundwater over time?
If EVelution builds the recommended wells that draw from both zones, what stops the lower-quality upper water from migrating down into the better Lower Unit once pumping is sustained? Has any modeling been done to check this risk?
5. How will the deeper groundwater be protected from an industrial release?
If the Lower Unit is a valuable future irrigation resource, what stops a spill, leak, or other accident at the processing facility from eventually reaching it?
6. What happens to neighboring wells over time?
EVelution says the groundwater supply can support the facility for its full operating life — and even future expansions. What does that sustained pumping mean for nearby wells? Where’s the modeling showing how far, and how long, the drawdown would extend?
7. Does the 408 acre-feet/year figure include future expansion?
EVelution reports about 408 acre-feet per year of net freshwater use, after roughly 70% of process water is recycled. But the company also says the groundwater can support future production increases. What would water use look like at that expanded scale?
None of these questions argues against the project. They ask something simpler: before Arizona commits a groundwater resource to decades of industrial — and possibly agricultural — use, shouldn’t we understand how the whole groundwater system will respond?
8. Should rural Arizona have a groundwater-management structure like Texas has?
Texas lets locally governed Groundwater Conservation Districts manage groundwater — through permitting, well-spacing rules, production limits, management plans, and protection measures. Texas law calls these districts the state’s preferred way of managing groundwater, and requires them to weigh water use, property rights, conservation, and the best science available.
Could Arizona set up something similar for rural basins outside its Active Management Areas and Irrigation Non-Expansion Areas?
A local structure like this could evaluate major new groundwater uses before problems happen — not after neighboring wells run dry, water quality drops, or future supply is already compromised.
The bigger question is no longer just whether EVelution can legally pump this water. It’s whether Arizona has the governance structure to understand and protect a shared groundwater resource before multiple users come to depend on it.
That’s where Texas becomes relevant — not as a perfect model. Even in Texas, areas outside a GCD still operate mostly under the rule of capture. But Texas shows something worth considering:
State law can authorize local groundwater governance with real authority over pumping.
Learn More — How Texas Groundwater Conservation Districts Work
Texas Well Owner’s Guide to Water Supply (2012), by Kristine Uhlman et al., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, explains Texas groundwater law, Groundwater Conservation Districts, well permitting, pumping regulation, and the role of local groundwater management.
Why this meeting matters
The new groundwater information makes those questions more specific, not less.
Topics the community has identified include:
- Groundwater quantity and long-term drawdown — including potential effects on neighboring wells
- Aquifer protection and water quality — including the potential for movement between groundwater zones of different quality
- Water demand and recycling — including the distinction between total process-water demand and net freshwater consumption
- Future expansion — and what increased production could mean for groundwater demand
- Transportation and truck traffic
- Emergency preparedness and spill response
- Environmental impacts and wildlife
- Long-term community benefits and accountability
The purpose is not to prejudge the project.
It is to make sure the questions are asked while there is still an opportunity to ask them — and before today’s assumptions become tomorrow’s operating reality.
June 1, 2026 – Community Request for a Public Information Meeting
Outcome
A Yuma County public meeting was held on June 1, 2026.
June 1, 2026 – Yuma County Board of Supervisors Meeting / https://play.champds.com/yumacoaz/event/611/s/58
(starting at 4.50 min)
- During the public comment period, community members requested a dedicated public informational meeting regarding the proposed EVelution cobalt processing facility.
- The request also included a remote participation option to allow interested members of the public to attend, listen, ask questions, and provide comments.
- The questions raised by the community formed the basis for the topics expected to be discussed at the November 5, 2026 public information meeting.
Result:
Following this request, a public informational meeting has been announced for November 5, 2026, where representatives from EVelution Energy, the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District, and other agencies are expected to participate.
Disclaimer
This website is an independent public information resource created to organize publicly available documents, correspondence, meeting information, and project-related materials concerning the proposed EVelution cobalt processing facility.
The goal is to provide community members with easy access to documents, project records, meeting information, public questions, official responses, and project updates in one location, while encouraging informed discussion about the opportunities, challenges, and long-term implications of modern industrial development.
This website does not represent EVelution Energy, Yuma County, any government agency, political organization, or advocacy group. Visitors are encouraged to review original source documents whenever possible.
yumaindustrialbenefit.org 
