The map above displays the projected path of pollution from a proposed copper-nickel mine in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The red highlights the path of toxic heavy metal runoff known as Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) as it flows north towards Hudson Bay. The watershed of the world’s most visited Wilderness and the most water-rich National Forest in America is no place for toxic heavy metal mining. It’s world-class fishing and hunting opportunities are under threat now more than ever – learn about the risks below.
The Superior National Forest in Northeastern Minnesota covers over three million acres and holds 20% of the fresh water in the entire 193 million acre National Forest System.
Permanent Pollution
Heavy metals, sulfuric acid and other toxic byproducts are generated by the hard rock mining process. This type of mining cannot happen without acid-mine drainage leaking into nearby ground and surface water.
While more arid environments are better suited for these mines, the interconnected lakes, rivers and streams in the BWCA make it no place for a sulfide-ore copper mine. Peer-reviewed science from the Journal of Hydrology shows this, as does nearby state and local water quality monitoring data.
Pollution Guaranteed
Downstream fish and wildlife would be adversely affected by the construction of a copper-nickel mine in the watershed of the Boundary Waters. Migratory birds have a well-documented history of landing in toxic, abandoned copper mine waste pits. These same waste pits are responsible for leaks and spill into nearby waterways, resulting in the death of fish, salmonids and reducing healthy insect populations fish depend on.
The hard-rock mining industry is responsible for more Superfund sites (a tax-payer funded program that cleans up toxic waste) than any other industry.
The Boundary Waters Work
The proposed Twin Metals mine would displace 4,400 to 6,600 existing jobs in Northeastern Minnesota, according to a study from Harvard economists, while protection of the Boundary Waters would lead to long term job growth in the area.
The damage wouldn’t stop in the Boundary Waters, as Voyageur’s National Park, Rainy Lake and Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park are also downstream of the project.