The Midnite Mine, Washingtons shining nuclear trinket, went dark over twenty years ago. Nowadays, it's about as inviting as a rerun of skylab landing. Uranium and toxic waste, ya know, nothing like a double date night. For the record, it was designated a Superfund site way back in 2000. Uranium's not the cool, calm Dalai Lama when it comes to choosing a hangout spot, mate. Waste rock piles and low-grade ore stockpiles remain, and the contaminated water from those messes need a detox before reaching Blue Creek.
The Washington State bureaucrats set up a corrective action assessment in 2001, and in 2006 they gave the nod to a hefty $193 million cleanup plan. The Midnite Mine made its debut in 1954 thanks to the LeBret brothers, with a little help from Newmont USA Limited, creating the Mine operator Dawn Mining Company. Things look a whole lot greener these days: they ran groundwater tests again in 2007 and are planning on cleaning up the joint from 2017 to 2024.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Friendly Jane
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