Morton Salt has stopped underground operations at its Morton Salt mine in Fairport Harbor after discovering water had entered the site on Oct. 22. The company said it evacuated everyone immediately and is now investigating the intrusion while surface activities are severely limited.
A Morton Salt spokesperson said by email, “We understand your desire to speak with someone to learn more about this development, but we are pointing stakeholders to the press release right now.” Morton Salt also said it will notify impacted customers and vendors as it evaluates the mine and determines the next steps.
Fairport Harbor on Oct. 22
The company said the water breach was found on Oct. 22, the same day it evacuated everyone from the mine. No one was injured, but the shutdown changes daily work at the Fairport mine site and leaves the company focused on separating what can still happen above ground from what has stopped below it.
Mike Cook and Painesville
Mike Cook, the city’s public information officer, said he spoke with Orin McMonigle, the city water superintendent, after the breach. “I just talked to Orin McMonigle, our water superintendent. He’s aware of the situation, and solely as a precaution, he is going to [do] more water testing to make sure there are no issues as a result of this situation,” Cook said.
The city of Painesville said it was aware of the situation. That adds a local public-safety layer to the mine shutdown, because the water intrusion is now being checked both inside the mine and in the surrounding water system through precautionary testing.
Morton Salt next steps
Morton Salt said it is working closely with independent experts and regulatory authorities to investigate the intrusion, evaluate its impact on the mine and determine the next steps. The practical question now is how extensive the water damage is inside the Fairport Harbor mine, since that will shape how long underground work stays closed and how much of the site can keep operating above ground.
