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Wetlands
Published in M. Sengupta, Environmental Impacts of Mining, 2018
The initial phase of the study was conducted at the LTV Steel Mining Company’s Dunka Mine in northeastern Minnesota. The Dunka Mine is a large open pit taconite operation, covering approximately 160 ha. The pit is 4 km long, 0.4 km wide, and has a maximum depth of 110 m. At this location, the Duluth complex, an igneous intrusion overlies the taconite ore and must be removed and stockpiled. The material has been separated based on copper content and has been stockpiled along the east side of the open pit. Drainage from all stockpiles and mine dewatering discharges (011, 012) flow to Unnamed Creek (Figure 8.16).
Control of Acid Mine Drainage Including Coal Pile and Ash Pond Seepage
Published in Donald A. Hammer, Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment, 2020
The Dunka Mine is a large open-pit taconite operation, covering approximately 160 ha. The pit is 4 km long and 0.4 km wide and has a maximum depth of 110 m. At this mine, the Duluth complex, an igneous intrusion overlies the taconite ore and must be removed and stockpiled. Duluth complex material has been separated on copper content and stockpiled along the east side of the open pit.
Risks and costs to human health of sulfide-ore mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Published in Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 2020
Jennifer Pearson, John Ipsen, Steven Sutherland, Kristan Wegerson, Emily Onello
Minnesota is known as “the land of 10,000 lakes.” The name comes from the native Ojibway (or Anishinaabe) language and translates to “land of sky-blue waters.” The state lies at the head of three continental watersheds and shares its northeastern border with Lake Superior, which is estimated to contain 10 percent of the planet’s freshwater (Minnesota Water Facts 2010). What Saudi Arabia is to oil, Minnesota is to freshwater. The Duluth Complex is a mineral deposit containing copper, nickel, and precious metals that lies within the Lake Superior and Hudson Bay Watersheds (NorthMet Mining Project and Land Exchange 2015). Active SOCN (also referred to as hard rock) mining is now being pursued in northern Minnesota, an area without any prior SOCN mining. In the current global climate where lack of access to freshwater is causing crises in many countries, decision-makers must carefully weigh damaging one resource, in the effort to extract another. As the One Health movement has articulated, human health, animal health, and ecosystem health are inextricably linked (One Health Initiative 2018). It is imperative that this linkage is fully appreciated as the risks and benefits of industry proposals with potential large-scale detriments to ecosystem and human health are examined. Current decisions regarding SOCN mining in northern Minnesota should be examined through this ecological lens. Proponents argue that precious metals are necessary to support modern life. But it is critical that careful examination and scientific scrutiny be applied in assessing the potential risks and costs of extracting these heavy metals from this pristine, fragile geographical location.