Associated Press - May 31, 2007 6:55 PM ET
LADYSMITH
(AP) - Flambeau Mining Company says it's reached a regulatory agreement
that means most of its former open pit copper mine south of Ladysmith
has been restored to its natural state without environmental harm.
But the company says it has agreed to withdraw its request for a
so-called certificate of completion on the reclamation for 32 acres of
the site called the industrial outlot.
Spokeswoman Jana Murphy says the company agreed to conduct
additional monitoring of that portion for things like surface water and
the nearby Flambeau River for five years because of concerns of
pollution.
But she says the rest of the mine site, which covered about 150 acres, now may revert to long-term care for the next 20 years.
The agreement came today during a regulatory hearing in which some groups opposed issuing the certificate of completion.
Flambeau Mining - a subsidiary of Utah-based Kennecott Minerals
Company and British mining giant Rio Tinto - opened the mine in 1993
and hauled away ore containing copper, gold and silver until 1997, when
reclamation began.
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