Regarding the proposed PolyMet mining project that is to be constructed near our Northland wilderness, I would suggest another approach to the complexity of the situation be considered.
Wilderness - with its forests, swamps and bogs, varieties of wildlife, and brush and vegetation - supports a healthy ecosystem. We should enter this toxic mining project with low negative impact on our environment.
Please note that the Northland contains many square miles of lowlands that fill with water during rainy seasons, contributing to a healthy aquifer that spills into numerous streams and rivers on the way to Lake Superior.
The increasing severity of storms and flooding around the world also needs to be considered when dealing with toxic water management.
Consideration should be given to the construction of a pit that would contain toxic waste, complete with a dome over it, much like the former Metrodome in Minneapolis - but with a new name: Nolan's Dome, for U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan. This would protect the wildlife and become the centerpiece for the recycling of wastewater. The toxic water could be separated and processed through a distillery for future use; the sludge could be collected before being transferred by rail to a hazardous waste site.
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This process of protection and recycling would benefit business, nature, and the future of our lands for our children. Such an eco-friendly operation could become a unique attraction for visitors who would enjoy a center that maintained a coffee shop serving purified water and organic delicacies from the "PolyMet Gardens" and a souvenir shop with precious metals. Visitors would know that PolyMet was a premiere company changing earth's history and demonstrating how we all can live together.
Judith Long
Duluth
