Cliffs Natural Resources’ Empire and Tilden Mines are the likely cause of high levels of selenium pollution in Goose Lake, Goose Lake Inlet, Warner Creek, and other smaller streams surrounding tailings piles at the company’s iron ore mining complex, in Marquette County.
In an interview with the Marquette Mining Journal, Steve Casey, an official with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Bureau said, “This is the first time we’ve had a significant issue with selenium in Michigan.”
However, according to DEQ records, elevated selenium levels are also found near the old Humboldt Mine, in western Marquette County. Kennecott-Rio Tinto is attempting to use the area to process metallic sulfide ore from the proposed Eagle Project Mine.
Selenium, like mercury, can bioaccumulate up the food chain, creating potential public health problems when people ingest contaminated fish or other animals.
Casey says that water in a hypothetical new drinking water well at the site shouldn’t be affected by the discharges and wouldn’ t be likely to exceed drinking water standards for selenium.
“Cliffs has been working with DEQ to identify what the potential source of this element is,” Cliffs spokesman Dale Hemmila said. “Right now there is no source identified. We believe additional studies have to be done.”
Hemmila says that there is “no known known impact on the drinking water.”
The DEQ has set selenium limits on process wastewater discharge from the Empire Mine that are due to take effect in December 2011.
Cliffs maintains other iron ore mines, as well as coal operations elsewhere in North America and abroad.
LSMN
Eve Divine
doncorvette
[...] mines in Minnesota and Michigan, including the Empire and Tilden mines, in the Upper Peninsula. Cliffs’ Michigan operations are currently leaching illegal amounts selenium into surrounding groundwater and surface water that is in violation of federal and state water [...]
[...] Brumleve expressed concern if toxic materials enter into the Middle Branch of the Escanaba River, already contaminated by high selenium levels coming from Cliff’s Natural Resources’ Empi…. [...]
[...] mines in Minnesota and Michigan, including the Empire and Tilden mines, in the Upper Peninsula. Cliffs’ Michigan operations are currently leaching illegal amounts selenium into surrounding groundwater and surface water that is in violation of federal and state water [...]