About 35,000 gallons of storm water leaked from the surface of a Northshore Mining Co. lined ash landfill near Silver Bay due to recent rainfall, according to Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
Company officials said today that the overflow was discovered Monday from a perimeter ditch, not from the landfill.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency was notified Monday of the release, according to a Cleveland-Cliffs news release.
Samples of the runoff were collected and are being tested, according to the news release.
Company officials said the limited time the water was in contact with the ash suggests that environmental consequences would be negligible.
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Northshore Mining Co. stores ash from the company's power plant in the lined landfill.
The landfill also recently accepted ash from the cleanup of this summer's Ham Lake fire along the Gunflint Trail.
Northshore Mining Co. immediately pumped out the perimeter ditch to prevent additional releases and has initiated corrective actions to prevent future storm water releases, according to the news release.
In the three weeks prior to the release, more than 9.3 inches of rain fell in the area. Normally, rainfall for Lake County in all of September and October is 5.6 inches, according to the Minnesota Climatology Working Group, stated the release.
Northshore Mining Co. is committed to improving its environmental leadership and to being transparent with stakeholders, said Mike Mlinar, Northshore Mining Co. general manager.
