Deer Lake
Michigan and Cleveland-Cliffs agreed on water quality improvements for Deer Lake and increased public access to other Marquette County waterways for recreation. In exchange, the state promised to take no further legal or administrative actions against the company for the lake's mercury pollution.
Deer Lake, located north of Ishpeming, was formed primarily by construction of a dam on the Carp River that provided hydroelectric power. It became heavily polluted with mercury when Cleveland-Cliffs used the heavy metal for testing in its chemical and research labs, then flushed it into the local wastewater system.
About 40 pounds of mercury a year flowed into the lake until the company discovered what was happening and stopped the discharges in the 1980s. Elevated mercury levels were detected in the lake''s fish.
Under a 1984 consent agreement between the company and the state, Cleveland-Cliffs has spent more than $1 million on scientific research and cleanup projects in the lake. The updated agreement requires the company to establish a restoration fund and take other steps to continue reducing the mercury level, including stopping discharges from a mine that was closed decades ago.
November 1, 2006 7:00 AM | Category: Cleanup