Power restored to Soudan mine, but park remains closed until further notice

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Power restored to 27th level of Soudan mine, but park remains closed until further notice
(Released March 23, 2011)


Electricians restored power to the 27th or lowest level of the mine at Soudan Underground Mine State Park near Tower, Minn., at approximately 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

This was an important milestone, but the park remains closed until a thorough safety inspection can be completed. Tours of the historic iron-ore mine and the University of Minnesota physics lab have been suspended indefinitely.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Park Manager Jim Essig. “We fully intend to begin offering tours of both the mine and physics lab again. We just don’t know when that will be.”

Crews that descended into the mine on Tuesday restored power to the 27th level, where the tours take place, with one of two existing electric cables. Power was needed to run the sump pumps at that level to prevent flooding.

Three other sump pumps were able to be activated on Sunday and have been removing a majority of the water from the top two-thirds of the mine since then. The pumps on the 27th level were activated on Tuesday.

A crew that descended into the mine on Wednesday morning confirmed that the power was still on, all of the pumps were still working, and there were no visible signs of flooding. The crew did not see any smoke or smoldering timbers, but the volume of foam remaining in the shaft from firefighting efforts earlier in the week continues to limit visibility, so it remains difficult for the DNR to get a clear picture of the conditions in the mine. The crew also accessed the University physics lab for the first time since the fire. They discovered foam in the lab and will be assessing the condition of the equipment and experiments.

In the coming days and weeks DNR staff, with the assistance of outside experts, will be conducting a thorough investigation to determine the source of the fire and the extent of the damage. Until the investigation is complete, the DNR would not speculate on a possible cause, the cost of repairs, or when the park, which closed when the fire was detected, might reopen.

“Fortunately, we were able to restore critical pumping power to the mine before any of the sump wells had filled or flooded,” Essig said.

Essig said a bat was seen flying underground near the shaft earlier this week, a very good indicator that even bats close to the shaft survived the fire. He noted that the vast majority of the bats hibernate well away from the shaft and were not likely to have been affected. Fresh air comes into the mine from other openings.
Some 30,000 to 35,000 people a year take guided tours of the historic mine and the underground physics lab annually. Guides led 1,823 group tours of the mine and lab in 2010.

“Safety is our first priority,” said Courtland Nelson, director of the DNR’s Division of Parks and Trails. “When it has been determined that we can safely resume tours, we will post that information on the DNR website, issue a news release and notify groups with previous reservations. I’m sure we will have a modest ‘reopening celebration’ at the mine and welcome visitors back as well as thank the community and our many partners for their patience and support. We thank you for your patience as we repair the damage from the recent fire and work to make sure the mine is safe for all to enjoy.”

In the meantime, anyone interested in taking a virtual tour of the mine (prior to the fire) can watch a video posted at on DNR website.