Community Environmental Monitoring Program
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) recently partnered with the Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP) and the Community Foundation of Marquette County (CFMC) to collaboratively conduct the Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP), an independent monitoring program of Eagle Mine operations. The CEMP Technical Committee (Eagle Mine, SWP, and KBIC) meets monthly to share updates, review monitoring results and discuss outreach plans and additional monitoring requests/special studies. The CEMP Policy group (Eagle Mine, SWP, KBIC, and CFMC) meets quarterly to discuss CEMP Agreement timelines and other program issues/opportunities. This partnership allows KBIC to share stewardship responsibilities and first treaty obligations with other communities, and to learn more about world views.
The CEMP program began in 2012 and provides an independent and comprehensive picture of groundwater quality, surface water quality, air quality, plant life and more. To date, the program has focused primarily on Eagle operations at the mine site, the Humboldt Mill and along the designated transportation route. KBIC Natural Resource Department (NRD) technical staff are working with SWP staff to prioritize and conduct all facets of CEMP monitoring and reporting.
photo l to r: Geri Grant, Superior Watershed Partnership Senior Planner; Kristen Mariuzza, Managing Director of Eagle Mine; Gail Anthony, Community Foundation of Marquette County Chief Executive Officer; and Evelyn Ravindran, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Director of Natural Resources.
Prior to partnering on the CEMP program KBIC had requested that SWP include additional CEMP monitoring for unique sites such as groundwater seeps and traditional tribal foods such as blueberries and wild rice. KBIC and SWP have a long history of collaborating on other initiatives including environmental restoration projects and a summer conservation program for tribal youth. The Community Foundation provides an independent administrative and coordination role in addition to assisting with community outreach.
Eagle Mine is located in the Lake Superior watershed and straddles the headwater regions of the Salmon Trout River and Yellow Dog River. The Humboldt Mill is located in the Lake Michigan watershed where treated water from the Humboldt Tailings Disposal Facility (HTDF) is discharged to the Middle Branch of the Escanaba River. CEMP utilizes EPA-approved independent laboratories to analyze monitoring samples collected from hundreds of sites in and around Eagle Mine, Humboldt Mill and the transportation route. The CEMP program consists of four main components: 1) Verification Monitoring, which includes verifying the environmental monitoring conducted by Eagle Mine as required by state permits, 2) Additional Monitoring, which includes environmental monitoring done by SWP and KBIC over and above required state permit monitoring, 3) Publication of Monitoring Results, and 4) Community Outreach. All historic and current CEMP monitoring data can be viewed on the CEMP website.
Superior Watershed Partnership | Community Environmental Monitoring Program
Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill overview
| CEMP Workgroup Updates | News |
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KBIC becomes part of most recent CEMP agreement (The Mining Journal)
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| Streamgages | |
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Current data typically are recorded at 15- to 60-minute intervals, stored onsite, and then transmitted to USGS offices every 1 to 4 hours, depending on the data relay technique used. Recording and transmission times may be more frequent during critical events. See local site information and more general information about the network below:
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| Resources and Reading | |
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KBIC Natural Resources Mining The Unity of Place: Giving Birth to Community Environmental Monitoring |
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| Events and Community Comment Opportunities | |
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to be announced
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| Other KBIC Natural Resources Monitoring Programs | |
Operated in cooperation with KBIC and other partners, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supports the collection and delivery of both streamflow and water-level information for five local sites. The data are served online - most in near realtime.
For more information about KBIC-CEMP, please contact:
Shannon DesRochers
Great Lakes Resource Specialist
KBIC Natural Resources Department
14359 Pequaming Road
L'Anse, MI 49946
(906) 201-0027 (cell)
(906) 524-5757 ext. 4231 (office)
(906) 524-5748 (fax)
sdesrochers@kbic-nsn.gov