Concern Grows Over Polymet Dam Proposal

After a dam collapse in Brazil, environmental groups are asking the Minnesota DNR to reconsider the Polymet Dam proposal.

DULUTH, Minn.- Duluth for Clean Water and the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are asking the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to reverse its decision on a dam permit for Polymet’s proposed mine.

This after the January 25 collapse of a dam in Brazil they say was constructed in the same way as the proposed dam for the copper nickel mines near Hoyt Lakes. Duluth for Clean Water says experts are calling this dam proposal outdated, obsolete and cheap and is the reason hundreds are left dead and missing in Brazil.

The incident in Brazil is the third major mine waste dam collapse to occur in 5 years involving a method called ‘upstream construction,’ in which heaps of trailings are used to increase the height of the dam.

Groups calling for this reversal say that experts have said this design should be decommissioned everywhere because of how it affects downstream communities.

“As we stand in solidarity with everyone in Brazil, who’s devastated right now, we need to make sure that we don’t allow the same type of failed mine design to take place here in Minnesota,” Duluth for Clean Water organizer John Doberstein said.

In response to the groups’ request, the DNR refused the dam’s reversal.

When asked to respond to the complaints involving the dam’s comparison to the dam collapse in Brazil…

Polymet released the following statement in an email:

“The tailings dam was one of the most studied aspects of the entire NorthMet Project during its 14-year environmental review and permitting process. It was reviewed extensively by independent experts, and some enhancements were incorporated into the design as a result of those independent reviews, including the addition of a rock buttress and additional monitoring stations. The NorthMet facility was found to meet every factor of safety for dam stability.

Importantly, the PolyMet NorthMet tailings basin is a highly engineered structure that has existed for more than 50 years. There are many active and much larger iron-ore tailings basins in Northern Minnesota that have existed for decades.”

Duluth for Clean Water says this is their first time doing a joint request with the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The groups say they’re going to continue asking elected officials to speak out against Polymet’s current dam proposal.