Flambeau Mine – Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States
The Flambeau Mine in Ladysmith, Wisconsin is truly a continuing success story! History tells us that the Flambeau ore deposit was first detected in and adjacent to the small community of Ladysmith, Wisconsin in 1968. The ore body was considered on the small to medium size but it was 10% copper compared to most copper mines that are less than 1% copper. There were initial plans for the Flambeau Mine that were shelved in 1977 due to rapidly falling copper prices and continued anti-mining sentiment in Wisconsin. But the tide turned and due to rising copper prices, the project was revived in 1986.
At that time significant changes were made to the initial plans so they would comply with Wisconsin’s stringent environmental guidelines and regulations. Protection of the Flambeau River, located adjacent to the mine site, was of primary concern to the local communities. As part of the agreement, a state-of-the-art water treatment facility was built on site to protect and maintain the high quality of the river. During the project’s life, the Flambeau water treatment plant treated and discharged over 600 million gallons of clean water to the Flambeau River.
Flambeau Mine production began with the first shipment of ore in 1993 and the last ore was shipped in 1997. Over 1.8 million tons of ore were removed from the mine site, which produced 181,000 tons of copper, 334,000 ounces of gold, and 3.3 million ozs. of silver.
Site reclamation began during 1996 and by 1999, site reclamation was complete with topsoil replaced, wetlands constructed, seeding and planting done, and four miles of recreational nature hiking trails constructed. In 2001, Flambeau submitted the Notice of Completion to the Wisconsin DNR. Throughout its operation, the Flambeau Mine complied with all environmental regulations and permit conditions. Wisconsin law requires groundwater monitoring on and around the reclaimed mine site for 40 years. There are 48 wells on the site for that purpose. Monitoring of groundwater and surface water continues to document that Flambeau Mining continues to be in complete compliance with all permits.
The most recent information on the Flambeau Mine Website indicates that the 150 acre reclaimed minesite is being put to good use. It is open year-round for many activities including hiking, biking, bird watching, dog walking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fishing and picnicking along the Flambeau River, Community Fitness Events and School field trips.
This is a true success story and everyone involved is a winner!