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Future of Cargill’s Salt Mine Remains Uncertain
Over a year after Cargill began its attempt to sell their salt mine on Cayuga Lake, its future remains uncertain. Advocates have been warning of a potential mine collapse that could impact Cayuga Lake’s wildlife and water health, while the closure of the mine could impact dozens of families employed by Cargill.
The Ulysses town board is considering taking action to prevent Cargill from dumping brine into an abandoned portion of their mine after Cargill applied for the project in July 2023. After hearing environmental concerns, the town is looking into the situation in an effort to prevent a potential mine collapse.
The project, pending approval from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), would allow Cargill’s salt mine under Cayuga Lake to store water -- which Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now (CLEAN) says has long been leaking into the mine -- inside a 150-acre underground abandoned portion of the mine on the southern end of the lake.
The DEC told the Ithaca Times in a statement that the water entering the mine is not a leak, and is not associated with the lake. They say that the source of the water is an accumulation of process water, surface stormwater runoff, and seepage into the shafts, and that it is a common occurrence in underground mines.
Advocates, including the group CLEAN, say the project could have a disastrous impact on the surrounding environment and have been warning the state not to approve Cargill’s application.
CLEAN’s primary concern is Cargill's request to dump excess brine into an abandoned portion of the mine, which CLEAN says was abandoned several years ago due to geological instability. They have concerns that the brine disposal and the instability of the storage space could lead to a potential mine collapse.
The DEC said that the storage of water into abandoned portions of mines “is a common practice in salt mines throughout the world.”
Cargill has owned and operated the salt mine on Cayuga Lake since 1970, and is one of three “deicing technology locations” that the company operates. The mine is located in Lansing and spans 2,300 feet under the surface of Cayuga Lake. It produces approximately 2 million tons of road salt for the northeastern United States each year, including salt for many local municipalities in Tompkins County.
Cargill put their mine up for sale last June, but George Patte, member of the steering committee of CLEAN, said there have not been any solid buyers, leading him to believe that Cargill may permanently close the mine.
Earlier this month, 14850 reported that Cargill had cut a significant number of employees at the mine, laying off roughly 13% of staff with plans to reduce salt production. The mine now has 165 total employees.
In a statement to the Ithaca Times, Lansing Town Supervisor Ruth Groff outlined the impact that these layoffs have on Lansing families.
“The recent layoffs affected 25 families, and it's always difficult to see any family negatively affected by circumstances beyond their control, so we hope Cargill fulfills their commitment to assist those employees in finding other employment,” Groff wrote.
Although she said that the health of Cayuga Lake is “paramount” to the future of communities that neighbor the lake, Groff believes that a shut-down mine could have serious impacts on families who are employed by Cargill.
In September of last year, CLEAN started a petition that has gathered over 4,000 signatures, calling for increased state supervision and environmental risk mitigation at Cargill's mine.
The prospect of a mine-induced flood, potentially elevating the already high salinity levels in Cayuga Lake, has propelled calls for rigorous assessments, including an environmental impact statement (EIS) and the imposition of a substantial financial bond to be paid by Cargill.
Liz Kreitinger, the executive director of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network, stated, "An EIS for this mine, including a thorough, fully transparent evaluation of the risks associated with its current operations, is decades overdue."
CLEAN believes that potential buyers are deterred by the mine's profitability issues, including the need for an environmental bond that could amount to billions of dollars due to the risk the mine poses to the lake's long-term health.
“Even if it shuts down today and is flooded, that’s a vast reservoir of brine which may begin seeping up into the lake, further salinizing it,” Patte said.
- Matt Dougherty and Maddy Vogel, Ithaca Times, 8/29/24
News and Events
Guided Hike at the Sims-Jennings Preserve
Join Finger Lakes Land Trust Director of Stewardship Chris Olney for a guided hike at the new Sims-Jennings Preserve at Cayuga Cliffs in Lansing. Learn about the various habitats and species found on the preserve, why protecting this land is important, and the improvements completed over the past year.
The terrain and slopes are moderate, with an optional descent onto steeper terrain to a bluff above the lakeshore.
The hike distance will be 1.8 miles for the whole group, and an additional 0.4 miles for anyone who opts to go down to the lake bluff and back.
Registration is required and this trip is limited to 20 people. Please email info@fllt.org to register, providing your name and email address.
When: Saturday, September 14, 2024, 10 am to 12 pm
Directions: From Ithaca, take East Shore Drive for six miles to turn left on NY-34B N/Ridge Road (at the intersection at Rogue’s Harbor). After four miles, the preserve will be on the left.
Except in the case of extreme weather, events go rain or shine. Please check this web page for updates.
Please no dogs.
Next TCCPI Meeting
Friday, October 25, 2024
9:00 - 11:00 am The monthly TCCPI meetings have moved online. For Zoom info, contact Peter Bardaglio, the TCCPI coordinator, for further details at pbardaglio@gmail.com.
If you have any issues you would like to bring to the TCCPI monthly meetings, please e-mail us at info@tccpi.org. General meetings are on the last Friday of every month, except for November and December. Because of the holidays, the November-December meeting is held on the second Friday of December.
The Ithaca 2030 District
Visit TCCPI's latest project, the Ithaca 2030 District, an interdisciplinary public-private collaboration working to create a groundbreaking high-performance building district in Downtown Ithaca.