In 1990 the Friends of Santa Fe County sued LAC Minerals over a number of environmental issues based on LAC Minerals' exploratory work and initial mining in the gold fields of the Ortiz Mountains. Some of the claims were dismissed, but an eventual settlement was reached. Under the settlement, LAC Minerals was required to clean up a plume of groundwater contaminated by nitrates and cyanide that had resulted from the heap leaching of gold ore. Also under the settlement, 1,350 acres of the mine were donated to the Santa Fe Botanical Garden for the Ortiz Mountain Educational Preserve.