More than two decades ago, Mining District communities banded together to secure funding for a wastewater plant to service the three municipalities of Bayard, Hurley and Santa Clara. Since the plant’s construction, the majority of the effluent water released from the plant has been pumped to Freeport-McMoRan’s Chino Mines Co. The mine, however, does not have a use for the water roughly 400,000 gallons per day, according to Santa …