Nickel Mining: A Threat to the St. Croix River?

Talon Metals and Rio Tinto hold active mineral leases for over 30,000 acres around Tamarack, Minnesota, including land near the West Branch Kettle River at the northwest corner of the St. Croix River watershed. Exploratory drilling across the mineral deposit continues to reveal high ore levels of nickel, copper, and cobalt. Environmental review of this mine project is likely to begin this summer.
Across the United States, sulfide ore mining in a water-rich environment has resulted in a failure to protect surface water and/or groundwater from acid mine drainage and toxic metals pollution. High levels of ore entail high levels of sulfide, increasing the risk of toxic sulfate pollution that harms downstream wild rice, increases mercury contamination of fish, and can leach toxic metals into ground and surface waters.
Join WaterLegacy Advocacy Director & Counsel, Paula Maccabee, to learn what this mine proposal could mean for the St. Croix watershed, and what you can do now to protect the rivers you love.