Michigan environmental regulators have issued citations to a Canadian mining company for violating state laws after exploratory drilling in Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park created rivers of mud.
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Water Resources Division district supervisor Steve Casey says Quebec-based Highland Copper Co. created soil erosion and damaged wetlands on Gogebic County Road Commission property, which runs through the park's western end.
The department issued the citations April 20. Casey says an investigation is ongoing.
Department officials say Highland Copper must stabilize the site, restore disturbed wetlands, obtain permits for discharging stormwater and sedimentation, and investigate other drill sales to determine if more wetlands have been tampered with.
The drilling was part of a study before securing a mining permit to set up shop on its adjacent land.
