Permit Process

In 2003, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation issued a mining permit renewal to CDT to expand and continue operation of the Cayuga Mine. The permit authorizes continued activity principally beneath Cayuga Lake. The processing equipment is located underground, but all salt storage facilities are on the surface at the current mine site. This mine is the deepest underground salt mine in the western hemisphere.

In 2008, the state evaluated and renewed the permit. As part of that process, Cargill developed a long-range plan that included discussions of an additional air shaft to provide ventilation and emergency evacuation for the northern reserves. That plan has evolved and CDT is now evaluating several different approaches to future mine development, some of which do not include a new air shaft.

On June 2, 2015 the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) approved a modification to Cargill’s existing mining permit to add an additional 150 acres to our existing subsurface mining area. The new acres are contiguous to the existing mine. Underground mining in the new areas will commence immediately. For more information, contact Mine Manager Shawn Wilczynski at 607-533-3700 or shawn_wilczynski@cargill.com