Red Dog Mine Faces $100M Thawing Permafrost Challenge

The Red Dog mine in Alaska faces a significant challenge due to thawing permafrost, a problem exacerbated by climate change. This thawing causes streams to turn orange, a phenomenon known as river rusting. Teck Resources, the mines operator, estimates that finding permanent solutions could take a decade and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The mines wastewater management has already cost nineteen million dollars, and the problem has only grown more expensive. The orange water, while natural, has caused trouble for Red Dog as it surges dissolved particles beyond state regulatory limits. The mines temporary permit to discharge wastewater is set to expire soon, potentially forcing Teck to spend hundreds of millions on additional studies and upgrades. This comes at a critical time for Red Dog, one of the largest zinc mines in the world, which is set to run out of ore by 2032 if new deposits are not developed. DNN | The Daily News Now! The world’s first global local news network. Every city. Every story. AI powered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.