FAIRPORT HARBOR, Ohio — On Monday, Morton Salt announced it has ceased underground operations at its Fairport Harbor mine after discovering water had entered it.
The company, through a press release, said it had found a breach of water Oct. 22 and immediately evacuated everyone.
All employees were safely evacuated, and no one was injured, Morton Salt said.
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.
Surface activities at the Fairport mine site will be severely limited while the mine is closed, Morton Salt said, and the company will be notifying impacted customers and vendors of the situation.
We wanted to know more about the incident and how many employees would be impacted.
"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," a Morton Salt spokesperson said via email.
I then reached out to the city of Painsville, the Fairport Harbor Mayor, the union that represents the miners at the Fairport facility, and the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.
So far, only the city of Painsville has responded.
"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," Mike Cook, the city's public information officer, told me.
If and when we learn more information, We'll Follow Through.
