Reserve Mining controversy
The Reserve Mining controversy centers around the environmental and public health implications of discharging taconite tailings into Lake Superior by the Reserve Mining Company, which began operations in 1955. The company extracted low-grade iron ore and opted to dispose of the significant waste generated—67,000 tons daily—by dumping it directly into the lake, initially facing little opposition. However, public concern grew after a 1968 report highlighted pollution issues, including water quality degradation and the presence of harmful asbestos-like fibers. This prompted legal actions, leading to a federal lawsuit in 1972. The trial revealed that drinking water in nearby communities, including Duluth, was contaminated, necessitating costly filtration upgrades. In 1974, the courts ruled that Reserve Mining must cease discharges, culminating in the cessation of tailings disposal into the lake by 1980 after significant legal battles and fines. The controversy underscores the complex interplay between industrial operations, environmental stewardship, and community health concerns.
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Reserve Mining controversy
Date: 1968-1980
The Reserve Mining Company was successfully prosecuted for disposing of hazardous waste from its taconite mining into Lake Superior.
Definition
The Reserve Mining controversy involved the discharge of taconite tailings into Lake Superior by the Reserve Mining Company. The discharge created concern about health and environmental impacts and led to litigation. The courts ruled against Reserve Mining.
Overview
The Reserve Mining Company was established in 1939 to mine taconite ores at Babbitt, Minnesota, on the Mesabi Iron Range. Taconite is a low-grade iron ore that requires a processing facility to concentrate and pelletize the ore before it can be used. The company decided that the best way of disposing of the resulting tailings (waste) was by discharging them into Lake Superior. The selected site was located at Silver Bay on the Lake Superior shore near Duluth. The necessary permits were granted in December, 1947, and operations began in 1955. Within ten years, annual pellet output capacity at the processing plant had reached 9.7 million metric tons, with a water volume of 1.9 million liters per minute.
There had been little concern about the tailings discharge into Lake Superior at the permit hearings or during the initial years of operation except by sport fishermen. This situation changed when the Stoddard report by the Department of the Interior and state agencies in 1968 concluded that Reserve Mining was polluting Lake Superior in violation of its permits. The report noted concerns about “green” water, trace metals, fish mortality, asbestos-like fibers, and lake eutrophication being associated with the discharge. This report was strongly rejected by Reserve Mining. There was growing concern about the tailings discharge by the public as well, which led to citizen groups fighting against it. An unsuccessful series of conferences was held to try to resolve the issues. The Environmental Protection Agency took over for the Department of the Interior in 1970, and a lawsuit was filed in federal court in 1972 to stop the discharge.
As the trial began in 1973, a new finding changed the entire focus of the environmental concern. It was determined that the asbestos-like fibers in the ore were present in the drinking water of nearby communities such as Duluth, creating a concern about the effects on human health. Duluth was forced to build a filtration system that cost $6.9 million. The initial court judgment in 1974 ruled that the discharge must stop. A stay was given by the appeals court while an acceptable on-land site was to be located and developed. After the first judge was removed by the appeals court for bias against Reserve Mining, the second judge also found against Reserve Mining. Reserve Mining and its owners, Armco and Republic, were required to pay more than $1 million in fines and to pay for the cost of filtering Duluth’s drinking water before the filtration plant was ready. With the approval of an on-land disposal site, discharge into Lake Superior ended in 1980.