POTASH MINING

WATER WITHDRAWAL

Problems associated with large-scale water withdrawals are well-known:

• Draw-down of the water-table Reduced groundwater flows
• Drying up of wells, springs, & wetlands Intrusion of brines & other minerals from below
• Deterioration of water quality in area wells as ancient “fossil-water” containing high levels of sulfur & minerals is drawn upwards

Residents around the Nestle & Cargill sites are already experiencing some of these problems, and at pumping rates drastically lower than those planned by Michigan Potash. (Also, the Nestle pumping rates are intermittent, whereas MPSC will pump continuously.)

★Area residents are accustomed to drinking some of the best water on the planet, which is what attracted Nestle in the first place.

Michigan Potash & Salt Company has been inconsistent (and we believe disingenuous) in providing water-consumption rates:

Both the company and DEQ/EGLE claim that a previous-area potash mine operated for many years without damage to the aquifer and neighboring wells. This is not only untrue (there have been problems, both from contamination and drawdown), but consider the difference in scale of operations: MPSC plans to mine over a million tons of potash per year. The previous mine, in its very best year, produced only 150,000 tons. This means that MPSC would consume almost seven times more water!

There’s also the issue that the company appears to be grossly understating the amount of salt they will produce. Salt is considered a waste-product when mining potash. While MPSC often predicts that they will produce approximately 13% more salt than potash, the area’s previous mining operation produced 4 times as much salt as potash. If this company ever reaches its annual goal of a million tons of potash, it could be faced with getting rid of up to 4 million tons of salt per year. This is more salt than the entire state of Michigan currently produces and far in excess of what current markets could absorb. If the company has to re-dissolve that salt for disposal through waste wells, it will multiply their fresh-water consumption many times (reclaiming water through distillation will not be an option).

MPSC HAS NEVER COME OUT AND SAID HOW MUCH WATER THEY WILL TAKE.