FYI
Hector Mine

That is what scares me about copper mining if a holding pond of copper sulfate waste broke it would be unreal the disaster.

The Hector mine was "outside" the impacted area...

What a mess!

Must have been a 1000 year event. Oh wait, the mine closed 50 years ago. Hmmm

I still can't wrap my head around my Great-great-great-great grand children supervising and caring for the mine waste from the proposed Polymet and Twin Metals mine. But if they are built, that's what the State, and mine owners says needs to happen. Sigh.

I've been keeping a close eye on this. My family has a cabin on Esquagema which is part of the chain of lakes connected to the Embarrass river. A photo was sent to me of the Lake 2 weeks ago and the lake was the rust brown color from the spill. The biggest worry is fish hatching. I'll be up there checking on things Sunday

Blatz: "I've been keeping a close eye on this. My family has a cabin on Esquagema which is part of the chain of lakes connected to the Embarrass river. A photo was sent to me of the Lake 2 weeks ago and the lake was the rust brown color from the spill. The biggest worry is fish hatching. I'll be up there checking on things Sunday"

:(
Keep us posted.

tumblehome: "Must have been a 1000 year event. Oh wait, the mine closed 50 years ago. Hmmm


I still can't wrap my head around my Great-great-great-great grand children supervising and caring for the mine waste from the proposed Polymet and Twin Metals mine. But if they are built, that's what the State, and mine owners says needs to happen. Sigh."

This is .eExactly why people are opposed to copper-nickel mining, only when those things blow out it isn't the same stuff going downstream as from a retired iron mine. It is acidic and contaminated with heavy metals, a combination that kills most everything in the water. Who wants to bet that it won't happen some time in the next 500 years?

So horrible.

Blatz: "I've been keeping a close eye on this. My family has a cabin on Esquagema which is part of the chain of lakes connected to the Embarrass river. A photo was sent to me of the Lake 2 weeks ago and the lake was the rust brown color from the spill. The biggest worry is fish hatching. I'll be up there checking on things Sunday"

I really wouldn't worry too much about fish hatching after this spill, since I trapped minnow for many years in what are called the Lucky Boy Ponds in back of the Hospital and Golf Course near Ely. The water was pumped there from the underground mines in Ely, and brown in color which is from the ore and paint rock in the mine.
The minnow production from those ponds is the best I have ever seen, and now includes Sunfish, Crappie, and Bluegills that have unfortunately wiped out much of the minnow population.

Blatz: "I've been keeping a close eye on this. My family has a cabin on Esquagema which is part of the chain of lakes connected to the Embarrass river. A photo was sent to me of the Lake 2 weeks ago and the lake was the rust brown color from the spill. The biggest worry is fish hatching. I'll be up there checking on things Sunday"

Small world.

I grew up on that lake! In fact, Mom and Dad still live there.

I don't know all aspects of this story but, I've often seen this type of thing (muddy, stained water) in the past. To the best of my knowledge, it hasn't ever decimated fish populations, or even noticeably affected fishing once the water clears. As mentioned, it's called the 'Iron Range' for a reason. I suspect the orange/rust colored water is just muddy runoff.

Yeah, don't worry about this not a big deal. Will never happen again, if it does, well things will be better anyway.

smfh

Its not if, but when...... History has proven this to be true with almost all these mines holding ponds....

gkimball: "

tumblehome: "Must have been a 1000 year event. Oh wait, the mine closed 50 years ago. Hmmm



I still can't wrap my head around my Great-great-great-great grand children supervising and caring for the mine waste from the proposed Polymet and Twin Metals mine. But if they are built, that's what the State, and mine owners says needs to happen. Sigh."

This is .eExactly why people are opposed to copper-nickel mining, only when those things blow out it isn't the same stuff going downstream as from a retired iron mine. It is acidic and contaminated with heavy metals, a combination that kills most everything in the water. Who wants to bet that it won't happen some time in the next 500 years?"

Yes!!! This is what people need to understand. Open Pit Sulfide Mining and Iron Ore Mining are very different. The environmental damage from a sulfide issue would be exponentially greater.

So we hear over and over we shouldn't do this and we shouldn't do that. What is the solution. Whether you mine next door to the BWCA or next door to wherever there needs to be a solution. And as long as we demand to have it all, they are going to have to mine this stuff wherever and however they can. What process is the better process? Where is the better place to find these products? I don't like it either, but I'm not hearing alternatives... Sound alternatives. Can this mining even be realistically done any better? What are we willing to give up to weaken demand?

This subject, like all others boils down to one thing: Money
IMO, (and this may already be happening, so my apologies if already underway) this topic should be presented to every young American in as many schools as possible. If possible, made accessible to students all over the planet! Let's see what they can come up with? From grade school kids, through college students. They are our future, and they may come up with at least a delayed solution?
Look at what a child came up with to a solution many years back when it came to the height of a bridge that tractor trailer(s) couldn't get under- Her suggestion, let some air out of the tires!!!

nctry: "What are we willing to give up to weaken demand? "

The penny and nickel. Stop producing pennies and not only save the money from the cost of production, which is greater than face value, but also save on the resources going into them. It is an easy fix that will improve the economy as well by cutting wasteful spending.

Realistically though there is no need to "give things up". Is supply goes down then price goes up and some product are simply not built. Cheap happy meal electronics might not be so cost effective anymore, and other throw-away electronics too. Phones might cost a little more but those prices go up so fast that you would never be able to tell the difference. You might blame the $100 price jump on copper prices, but that really would only account for maybe $5. One mine will not affect the global market unless this "one mine" situation is repeated over and over again.

The only solution is everyone needs to stop buying stuff. Things with a physical presence have to come from someplace and are not created from thin air. If someone goes to the store to buy something, imo, its hypocrisy to be against the extraction industries. But it's hard to look in the mirror for the solution.

I love the outdoors and want to see it stay as pristine as possible. But I am also a realist that appreciates the roof over my head and the bus wheels that take me to work everyday.

The best possible solution is that we harvest from the earth in a responsible manner by working together and understanding both points of view to come to a sustainable balance.

elpirkl: "The only solution is everyone needs to stop buying stuff. Things with a physical presence have to come from someplace and are not created from thin air. If someone goes to the store to buy something, imo, its hypocrisy to be against the extraction industries. But it's hard to look in the mirror for the solution.


I love the outdoors and want to see it stay as pristine as possible. But I am also a realist that appreciates the roof over my head and the bus wheels that take me to work everyday.


The best possible solution is that we harvest from the earth in a responsible manner by working together and understanding both points of view to come to a sustainable balance.


"

Exactly! Many people that are against the Polymet Project live in a house much bigger than they need, that’s full of stuff that they don’t really need, with 2 fairly new vehicles in the garage.

A1t2o: "

nctry: "What are we willing to give up to weaken demand? "

The penny and nickel. Stop producing pennies and not only save the money from the cost of production, which is greater than face value, but also save on the resources going into them. It is an easy fix that will improve the economy as well by cutting wasteful spending.


"

+1

elpirkl: "The only solution is everyone needs to stop buying stuff. Things with a physical presence have to come from someplace and are not created from thin air. If someone goes to the store to buy something, imo, its hypocrisy to be against the extraction industries. But it's hard to look in the mirror for the solution.


I love the outdoors and want to see it stay as pristine as possible. But I am also a realist that appreciates the roof over my head and the bus wheels that take me to work everyday.


The best possible solution is that we harvest from the earth in a responsible manner by working together and understanding both points of view to come to a sustainable balance.
"

Many/most traditional Americans (including those of us who live in the North) don't have an issue with mining per se, but are not willing to risk their kids' heritage on some vague promise that this type of mining is safe.