North Canton Mine

North Canton Strip Mine is a proposed 1,084-acre surface mine by Chicago-based Capital Resource Development Company, and would be located a mile north of Canton Lake in Fulton County, Illinois. Canton Lake is a drinking water source for 20,000 residents, and the mine is being opposed by Canton Area Citizens for Environmental Issues (CACEI).

In June 2011, CACEI asked the city council to rescind the letter of support it approved five years ago for the mine, due to residential growth near the area and the potential for pollution of Copperas Creek and North Canton Lake. The lake, fed by the creek watershed, is one of the city's water supplies. Capital Resources must still obtain its last needed permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

In July 2011, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency placed two permits on Public Notice for the North Canton Mine: the Water Discharge Permit, which sets limits on pollution levels for the water discharged from the mine site, as well as the 401 Water Quality Certification, which addresses the proposed mine’s impacts on water quality.

The Illinois EPA later issued a draft NPDES Water Discharge Permit and Water Quality Certification for the North Canton Mine. The proposed operator, Freeman United Coal Mining Company, is currently targeted in a lawsuit by the state's Attorney General for more than 300 Clean Water Act violations at its nearby Industry Mine.

Mine Data

 * Owner: Capital Resource Development Company LLC, Chicago
 * Parent company:
 * Location: Fulton County, IL
 * GPS coordinates:
 * Production:
 * Type of coal:
 * Mine type: Strip
 * Equipment:
 * Number of employees:
 * Recoverable Reserves:

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