Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Technical contact: Jeff Udd, (218) 723-4843 Media contact: Mike Rafferty, (651) 297-8294 ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will hold an open house and informational meeting on Thursday, April 20, for U.S. Steel Minntac's preliminary proposal to discharge wastewater from its tailings basin in Mountain Iron, Minn. The preliminary proposal is to discharge water daily from its taconite tailings basin into the West Two River. The company plans to submit a water quality permit application to the MPCA in summer 2006. The tailings basin is used for disposal of tailings generated from ore processing. The basin also allows fine particles to settle out and stores water for facility use. The water discharge from the tailing basin is intended to improve ore-processing efficiency and reduce environmental impact on the Dark River and Sandy River watersheds. The MPCA has prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed discharge that provides an in-depth analysis examining the potential for significant environmental effects as well as social and economic influences. The MPCA Citizen's Board deemed the EIS adequate last November. The open house and informational meeting will take place on April 20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Mesabi Community College, 1001 Chestnut St. W., Virginia, Minn. The meeting will include formal presentations by the MPCA and U.S. Steel Minntac from 7 to 8 p.m.