State regulations and reclamation rules related to nonferrous metallic minerals exploration and development

Exploration drilling

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Minnesota Department Natural Resources (DNR) are both involved in regulations to protect the environment during metallic mineral exploration. For example there are many rules in the Water Well Code that protect groundwater during exploratory boring. 

Exploration drill site

These regulations must be followed before a company can do exploratory borings on either public or private land in Minnesota: 

• Register the exploration company with the DNR,
• Obtain an explorer’s license from the MDH
• Notify both the DNR and the MDH at least 10 days prior to commencing an exploratory boring. The DNR conducts drill site inspection throughout the drilling activity to assure compliance with all relevant laws. 
• On a state mineral lease the explorer must submit an exploration plan 20 days prior to the start of activities. The DNR reviews these plans prior to granting the right to proceed. 
• Following completion of exploratory borings, the explorer must further comply with state law. They must submit a completed MDH report form that provides details on how the explorer sealed the boring. This ensures that the rules for sealing a borehole is followed.
• The explorer must also submit a portion of the drill core samples to the DNR upon lease termination. These samples become public property, and this helps to limit future environmental impacts (or duplication of effort) by allowing others to view and analyze the drill core.

Exploration drilling vs. water wells

Click to enlarge

To put the exploratory drilling activity into perspective, we can compare the small number of exploration borings done to the large number of water wells and other wells drilled statewide. This comparison is based on the MDH data for a period of 11 years. There were 1,031 exploratory borings during the timeframe 2000 through 2010 compared to 128,637 domestic water supply wells and other wells. Therefore, exploratory boring was a very small component of drilling in Minnesota, and represented less than one percent of the total drill holes in the state.

Environmental review, permitting, and reclamation - DNR role

For information on the DNR's role in environmental review, permitting of mines, inspections, and reclamation rules and standards please visit the DNR's Mineland Reclamation webpage