Back Forty Mine

The Back Forty Mine is a proposed open-pit metallic sulfide mine targeting gold and zinc deposits in Menominee County in the South Central part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula next to the Menominee River. Aquila Resources submitted its first permit applications to the state of Michigan in 2015. The project was originally proposed as a 750-foot deep (230 m) open-pit mine on 83 acres (34 ha) to extract gold, zinc and other metals. An on-site processing mill will crush and refine minerals and ores through flotation, separation and the use of cyanide. The underground sulfide deposit, discovered in 2001, may also produce smaller volumes of copper, silver and lead. The five key permits needed for the project to begin are a mining permit, an air permit, a water discharge permit, a wetland permit and a dam safety permit. The state of Michigan issued a draft mine permit in 2016. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said "The surface water discharge application meets the Wisconsin water quality standards" as, while not having permitting authority, Marinette County, Wisconsin is across the river from the project. A major concern is the project's impact on the river and surrounding wetlands, which are vital to natural habitat, erosion protection and water quality. Under a 1984 agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Michigan, the state took over issuanc

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