Red Dog Mine

The Red Dog Mine milling complex. The mining pit is visible on the left and part of the tailings pond on the right.
Source: Northern Alaska Environmental Center (2000). Copyright held by photographer.

The Red Dog Mine is a zinc and lead mine in northern Alaska, located about 80 miles north of Kotzebue in the Northwest Arctic Borough. This metal sulfide mine is the second-largest producer of zinc in the world, and is a major source of revenue for native corporations across the state. The main pit is almost out of ore, but in 2010  Red Dog expanded  operations to the adjacent Aqqaluk deposit.  The Aqqaluk deposit  is projected to operate until 2031. The mine has had problems with wind-blown ore dust, and wastewater discharge issues have resulted in fines and a large lawsuit brought by the downstream community of Kivalina. Active water treatment and tailings repository maintenance will be needed forever to prevent heavy metals and acid discharge into downstream waters.The Red Dog Mine is operated by Teck Resources, Ltd., a Canadian Company. The NANA Regional Corporation owns the mineral deposit.

Additional Reading

• Ground Truth Trekking’s Red Dog Page
• Northern Alaska Environmental Center’s Red Dog Page
• Northern Alaska Environmental Center’s Aqqaluk Expansion Project Page
• Alaska Department of Natural Resources Red Dog Page
• Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s Red Dog Fugitive Dust Page
• Red Dog Mine Company Site
• NANA Corporation’s Red Dog Page
• Alaska Community Action on Toxics Report on Red Dog and Subsistence

(Content derived from Ground Truth Trekking)

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