Operational and regulatory decisions depend on insights and knowledge gained from analyses of data collected in compliance with water quality permit conditions. These data need to be set in their spatial and temporal contexts and associated with aquatic biota, beneficial uses of the waters after leaving the project boundaries, and the geomorphic settings through which they flow. This report on the relationships of total dissolved solids (TDS) with selected minerals from a sample of streams on both sides of the Independence Mountains is the first aspect to be analyzed and reported. Total dissolved solids (TDS) is not a pollutant. It is considered an aesthetic issue in drinking water (as a secondary standard) and might affect crops depending on the plant, soil, and constituents contributing to TDS in irrigation water. Aquatic organisms are well adapted to temporal and spatial variation in TDS concentrations. Because TDS is a measure of those molecular ions less than 2 µm in diameter, understanding its dynamics helps both company management and regulators make well-informed decisions appropriate to locations and beneficial uses of the receiving waters.