Economy

Flooded Ohio salt mine lays off 77 workers, raising winter road-salt worries

Fairport Harbor, Ohio • October 30, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: a mine entrance beside a pile of road salt and a snowplow truck on a snowy Ohio road

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

Morton Salt has laid off 77 workers at its Fairport Harbor mine in Lake County, Ohio, after water poured into the mine beneath Lake Erie — a shutdown that now has northeast Ohio counties watching their winter road-salt supplies.

The company discovered a significant inflow of water in the mine on October 22, 2026, immediately evacuated the miners, ceased all underground operations and notified regulators, according to a Morton Salt statement issued October 26. All employees were evacuated safely and no one was injured, the company said.

A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services lists 77 affected employees — 69 hourly union workers and eight salaried non-union workers — the Akron Beacon Journal reported Friday, October 30. The notice states the affected employees will not receive bumping rights. The company said impacted workers will receive 60 days of pay in lieu of notice and benefits through the end of the calendar year, according to WKYC and WNIR reporting on the notice.

The mine sits roughly 2,000 feet beneath Lake Erie, separated from the lake by rock and sediment, FOX 8 reported, and federal mine inspectors are investigating what caused the water intrusion. Morton Salt said it is working with independent experts and regulators to investigate the inflow, evaluate its impact and determine next steps, and that surface activities at the site will be severely limited while the mine is closed. The company has not said whether — or when — the mine could reopen.

The shutdown matters beyond the mine gates because the Fairport Harbor mine is a key source of road salt for winter weather across northeast Ohio. Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Mahoning and Trumbull counties contract with the mine for road salt, according to Cleveland.com reporting cited by the Beacon Journal. The Portage County engineer's office now has 3,000 to 3,500 tons of salt available, the Beacon Journal reported, but typically uses 4,000 to 4,500 tons each winter to maintain about 736 lane miles of county roads in its townships. Whether shortages materialize depends on how long the mine stays closed.

Sources: Akron Beacon Journal (Oct 30, 2026); Morton Salt company statement (Oct 26, 2026); FOX 8, as reported by the New York Post (Oct 28, 2026); WKYC reporting on the WARN notice (Oct 28, 2026); WNIR (Oct 28, 2026); Cleveland.com, as cited by the Beacon Journal (Oct 30, 2026).