Morton Salt has permanently closed its Fairport Harbor mine beneath Lake Erie after water began gushing through a crack in the ceiling last month, eliminating 77 jobs and threatening winter road salt supplies for communities across northeast Ohio, while raising broader safety questions about the five salt mines situated partly or entirely beneath Great Lakes waterways.
The closure of the mine, one of 12 rock salt mines Morton Salt runs worldwide, cuts off about 1.3 million tons of annual rock salt production from under the lake. Trumbull County, located about 30 miles from the mine, relied entirely on it for road salt. County engineer David DeChristofaro said the county gets about 30,000 tons of salt a year from the mine but has a stockpile of around 14,000 tons. He said the county is waiting for the Ohio Department of Transportation to see about acquiring additional road salt supplies and may mix salt with aggregate one-to-one, as was done 15 years ago, to stretch supply, though that adds cost because it must be swept up at the end of winter.
Morton Salt officials have not been able to locate the source of the water intrusion weeks after the incident, and the company did not respond to questions about how often the mine underwent a full perimeter inspection for water intrusion before its closure, whether it knows the source, or whether it is scheduling new safety measures at other mines. Emails to Cargill, which operates the nearby Whiskey Island mine that experienced a water intrusion event in 2017, also went unanswered.
The mine is about 2,000 feet (610 metres) beneath Lake Erie. Experts say decades of blasting and the presence of underground aquifers could contribute to significant subterranean rock movement. Xiong "Bill" Yu, a professor of engineering at Case Western Reserve University, said: “Blasting can fracture rock near an excavation, and removing rock changes the stresses carried by the roof, pillars and surrounding layers,” Yu said. “For water to enter, there must also be a connected pathway from a water source to the mine. A nearby aquifer could supply that water through a fault, connected fractures, or a compromised shaft or seal.” He added that while more than 1,000 feet of rock provides meaningful separation, the engineering question is whether the layers offer a continuous barrier.
In 2017, the Cargill-run Whiskey Island mine experienced a water intrusion that also released dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide gas. In 1994, a large salt mine in western New York collapsed after being inundated with aquifer water, and in 1980, Lake Peigneur in Louisiana was drained when an oil rig breached an underwater salt mine. No miners were injured in either incident.
Local voices have begun calling for an investigation into the safety of salt mines under large bodies of water and potential effects on drinking water. An editorial in the Cleveland Plain Dealer asked whether the rock roof could be breached, creating saline swamps in Lake Erie, which supplies drinking water to millions in the US and Canada. Yu said he would support a regulator-led review of water-intrusion risks at operating salt mines beneath the Great Lakes, checking how each mine detects and responds to unusual seepage, and the condition of shafts and seals and stability of roofs and pillars.
Miners employed at the Fairport Harbor facility who were contacted by the Guardian declined to be interviewed, citing non-disclosure agreements. The Mine Safety and Health Administration oversees mine safety but under the Trump administration a deregulation drive has been enacted that includes, among other measures, eliminating diesel particulate exposure levels in mines. A Morton Salt mine in Louisiana was placed on a pattern-of-violations notice in 2022 for safety problems; that notice was lifted in April 2025.
Authorities in a township in a neighbouring county have issued a warning to motorists about potentially hazardous driving conditions this winter because of the salt shortage.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The closure of the Fairport Harbor mine jeopardises road salt supplies for more than a million residents in northeast Ohio, a region that receives up to 4.5 feet of snowfall annually and relies on the mine for winter road maintenance.
- The water intrusion raises safety questions about the five active salt mines located partly or entirely beneath the Great Lakes, including the much larger Cargill-operated Whiskey Island mine, which had a similar incident in 2017.
- Potential environmental risks include contamination of Lake Erie, which provides drinking water to millions in the United States and Canada, if a mine roof were to be breached.
Background
Salt mines under the Great Lakes have operated for decades, extracting rock salt for industrial and road-use purposes. The Fairport Harbor mine was one of 12 Morton Salt mines worldwide and produced about 1.3 million tons annually. Water intrusion is a known hazard in underground mining, especially beneath large bodies of water, and past incidents, including a 1994 mine collapse in New York and a 1980 lake drainage in Louisiana, have demonstrated the risks. The Mine Safety and Health Administration is the federal regulator, but recent deregulation under the Trump administration has reduced certain protections.
Key Perspectives
David DeChristofaro (Trumbull County engineer): Says the county typically gets 30,000 tons of salt a year from the mine but has only 14,000 tons stockpiled; he is waiting on the state for additional supplies and may stretch salt by mixing it with aggregate.
Xiong “Bill” Yu (Case Western Reserve University professor): Supports a regulator-led review of water-intrusion risks at Great Lakes salt mines, noting that blasting and rock removal can create pathways for water and that each mine’s detection systems, seals, and structural stability should be checked.
Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial: Raised the question of whether the rock roof could be breached, creating saline swamps in Lake Erie that could affect drinking water for millions.
What to Watch
- Whether the Ohio Department of Transportation can secure alternative road salt supplies for affected counties before the winter season intensifies.
- Any announcement from Morton Salt or federal regulators about the source of the water intrusion and potential new inspection procedures at other Great Lakes mines.
- Possible legislative or regulatory action at the state or federal level to mandate reviews of water-intrusion risks at all salt mines beneath the Great Lakes.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedMorton Salt shut the Fairport Harbor mine for good after water began gushing through a ceiling crack last month.World news | The Guardian: “When water last month began gushing through a crack in the ceiling of a Morton Salt mine in Ohio, the company had only one option: shut the mine down for good.”
- SupportedThe closure raises safety and road-salt supply concerns.World news | The Guardian: “For the wider region, which depends on its salt reserves to keep roads ice- and snow-free every winter, it could mean travel chaos.”
- SupportedThe closure means the loss of 77 jobs.World news | The Guardian: “For locals in and around Fairport Harbor, it means the loss of 77 jobs”
- SupportedThe mine produced around 1.3 million tons of rock salt a year from beneath Lake Erie.World news | The Guardian: “At the Fairport Harbor facility, one of 12 rock salt mines that Morton Salt runs around the world, around 1.3 million tons of rock salt were mined from underneath the lake every year.”
- SupportedTrumbull County, about 30 miles from the mine, relied entirely on it for road salt.World news | The Guardian: “Situated 30 miles (48km) from the now-shuttered mine, Trumbull county’s 200,000 residents relied entirely on the Fairport Harbor mine for road salt.”
- SupportedDavid DeChristofaro said the county gets about 30,000 tons of salt a year from the mine and has a stockpile of around 14,000 tons.World news | The Guardian: ““We get about 30,000 tons [of salt] a year from the mine. But we have a stockpile of around 14,000 tons,” says David DeChristofaro, the Trumbull county engineer.”
- SupportedThe county is waiting to see whether the Ohio Department of Transportation can help it acquire additional road salt, and may mix salt with aggregate one-to-one to stretch supplies.World news | The Guardian: ““We are waiting for the Ohio department of transportation [to see about acquiring additional road salt supplies]. If necessary, we will mix salt with aggregate, one to one”
- SupportedMorton Salt officials still could not find the source of the water intrusion weeks after the closure.World news | The Guardian: “a growing concern is that weeks later, Morton Salt officials say they still can’t find the source of the water intrusion.”
- SupportedFive salt mines are situated partly or entirely beneath Great Lakes waterways, and the incident has prompted calls to investigate their safety and possible effects on drinking water.World news | The Guardian: “With five salt mines situated partly or entirely underneath Great Lakes waterways”
- SupportedXiong “Bill” Yu said blasting can fracture nearby rock and mining changes stresses in the roof, pillars and surrounding layers.World news | The Guardian: ““Blasting can fracture rock near an excavation, and removing rock changes the stresses carried by the roof, pillars and surrounding layers,” says Xiong “Bill” Yu”
- SupportedThe Cargill-run Whiskey Island mine experienced a water intrusion event in 2017 that also released dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide gas.World news | The Guardian: “In 2017, the much larger Cargill-run Whiskey Island salt mine 30 miles (48km) west of Fairport Harbor experienced a water intrusion event that also saw dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide gas released.”
- SupportedYu said he would support a regulator-led review of water-intrusion risks at operating Great Lakes salt mines.World news | The Guardian: ““I would support a targeted, regulator-led review of water-intrusion risks at operating salt mines beneath the Great Lakes,” says Yu.”