State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says all the parties involved have finally signed a Memorandum of Understanding on how the settlement money from the Retsof mine collapse will be used.
The Akzo Nobel Salt Mine in Livingston County caved in 22 years ago, eventually flooding the world’s second biggest salt mine. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation eventually settled with the owners on $20 million in damages to address the problems it caused.
The memorandum divides the money four ways: to fix problems caused by salt-contaminated ground and surface water, to improve Livingston County’s water infrastructure, to monitor ongoing subsidence in the area above the abandoned mine and a contingency fund.
The biggest share will be for water infrastructure. Many wells were contaminated by salt water following the collapse.