Mongabay reports on a case in Colombia's tropical Andes, where a group of farmers and villagers are resisting the construction of a large copper mine by international gold mining giant AngloGold Ashanti. The company has been working for over a decade to obtain a license to extract nearly 1.4 million metric tons of copper from the mountains surrounding the town of Jericó. Concerned about the impact of the mine on their underground water supply, the group blocked the company from performing the final environmental studies needed for its pending mining license. The company claims that the mine would bring in around $5 million in annual profit for the town and create at least 3,000 jobs. However, the town is sharply divided over the issue. Farmers fear their livelihood will vanish if the mine disrupts the water table. The area is predominantly agricultural and has never been a mining zone. The potential impact of the mine on the aquifer and the farmers' water sources isn't clear yet. The farmers and villagers have kept constant watch on the land rented by the company and have disrupted operations. As of mid-May, the legal process was still ongoing, with the town's police inspector in charge of mediation between the two sides. Despite the resistance, AngloGold Ashanti has invested millions of dollars in Jericó since it first launched the project in 2010.