METALINE FALLS, Wash. — A zinc and lead mine in Metaline Falls, Washington is laying off 210 workers.
According to the Washington State Employment Security Department, workers at Teck Pend Oreille received the notice Thursday. The layoffs will begin on July 31.
Mark Brown, general manager of the facility says that, by September, the mine will have run through all of the zinc and lead that's left in the area. Decreasing metal value is what he said led to the announcement.
The population of Metaline Falls is 238, according to the 2010 census. The surrounding area population is only about 1,000. The layoffs are expected to hit residents hard, due to it being a major employer in the area.
"We always knew it was coming. The day would come when whether through economic factors or tariffs or the market for zinc, or when the zinc itself ran out. We knew that the mind would close," said Metaline Falls Mayor Tara Leininger. "We don't know quite how the impact is going to play out. It's going to take a little bit of time for us to understand it."
She said it will probably take until about January before the town will really feel the toll from these layoffs.
"By that point, we'll know if we're going to lose the grocery store. We're gonna know if our fifth avenue grill and bar is going to survive, whether the farmhouse cafe can survive. We don't know how in the long run it's going to affect them," Leininger said.
The mine is going down to a skeleton crew of about 35 people. This is just for building maintenance so the mine can keep its license.
Company leaders said they're trying to make this an easier transition by offering financial and job counseling.
"They're trying to get people jobs and hired elsewhere, like Red Dog in Alaska or anywhere else. They're trying to help the people who are being laid off," said mine worker Jack Smith.
The Pend Oreille mine is expected to exhaust its current reserves soon and mining and concentrate production will be suspended on July 31, according to Teck’s website. The mine will then be transitioned to care and maintenance.