Located 2,300 feet under the surface of Cayuga Lake, a seven mile mine cranks out 2 million tons of raw salt every year, which is mostly used to defrost icy roads in Ithaca and across the northeast United States. Mining salt from under the lake, however, is met with rising concern over its impact on lake salinity. Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now, a local activist group, and local governments, including the City of Ithaca, filed a legal action against the DEC and Cargill in 2017. Cargill, the nation’s largest privately owned company, first received permit to mine under Cayuga Lake in 1975. The study was reviewed by the New York DEC, but the findings were not released to the public.

Source: Daily Sun March 18, 2019 02:37 UTC