Soudan Underground Mine still under water

It’s been a rough four years at Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park.

And it’s not getting any easier.

A month after heavy rains flooded the 27th level of the historic underground mine in Soudan, park officials are still trying to pump thousands of gallons of water from the depths of the mine.

“We have the contractor in,” Jim DeVries, Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park assistant manager said Wednesday. “He showed up today to clean up the sump on 22 (22nd level).”

The June 18 deluge dumped more than seven inches of water on portions of northeastern Minnesota over a short period of time.

Homes, businesses, communities, and public infrastructure received heavy flood damage.

At Lake Vermilion-Soudan State Park, about 7.6 inches of rain fell within 24 hours, according to park officials.

The rainwater somehow got into the depths of the mine and left an estimated seven feet of water at the 2,341 foot-deep 27th level.

That’s the level where park officials take visitors down a thrilling elevator ride deep into the earth to show and interpret the history and operations of the former natural iron ore mine.

Park officials had hoped to pump water from the depths of the mine within weeks of the rainstorm.

But problems arose with pumps at the 27th level and above.

Pumps at the 27th level, which pump water up to the 22nd level, quit working during the flood as electricity went out.

And the 22nd level sump, which contains pumps at that level, filled with silt, DeVries said.

Once a contractor cleans out the 22nd level sump, it’s hoped that pumping from the 27th level can finally begin, he said.

Water is pumped from the 27th level up to the 22nd level, then to the 12th level, and then out of the mine, DeVries said.

“It’s going to take two weeks before we can start pumping,” DeVries said. “As best we can tell, the water is at the same level that it’s been at (since the rainstorm).”

Originally, it was hoped underground tours could resume July 23.

The date was then moved to Sept. 3.

But with ongoing issues, that date also remains in question, DeVries said.

“It’s very likely going to go beyond that,” DeVries said. “But we haven’t made that determination yet. We need to see what’s down there.”

Normally, underground tours would continue until Minnesota Education Association meetings in October, DeVries said.

However, it won’t be known for a while when or whether underground tours will resume, he said.

“We have to touch ground before we make that determination,” DeVries said.

Surface tours at the mine are continuing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and attracting 50 to 100 visitors per day, DeVries said.

Tickets or reservations for surface tours are not required.

After being closed for a year-and-a-half during the pandemic and then two years for reconstruction work, the flooding is another setback for the park.

But park officials say they’re determined to get underground tours reopened to the public.

“We thought we were past it until June 18,” DeVries said. “But we’re tenacious and we will get through this again. It’s just hard to determine when.”