Morton Salt is closing its Ohio salt mine after a water breach

Morton Salt has ceased mining operations at its salt mine in Fairport, Ohio, after finding an inflow of water underground, the company said Monday.

The company discovered the water on Oct. 22 and responded by getting miners out, shutting down all work below ground and alerting regulators, it said. All employees made it out without harm.

Morton Salt is teaming up with outside experts and regulators to look into how the water got in, gauge the damage to the mine and chart what comes next. While the mine remains shut, only limited work will go on at the surface of the site, and the company will tell affected customers and vendors that a force majeure event has occurred.

A U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson told Fox 8 that the Mine Safety and Health Administration was informed of both the evacuation and the water intrusion. The spokesperson said an investigation into how the leak happened is still under way and confirmed that a federal safety order was issued on Oct. 22, according to Fox 8.

The Ohio Department of Transportation holds 624,000 tons of salt, about 73% of its capacity, the agency told Fox 8. Six counties, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Mahoning, Portage and Trumbull, get their salt supply from the Fairport Harbor mine.

"ODOT has been in contact with Morton as we work to determine any potential impacts from the closure of their mine. We are confident we have the resources to keep Ohio roads safe this winter," the agency told Fox 8.

Morton Salt is scheduled to meet with employees Tuesday morning to discuss next steps, according to Fox 8. The company's mines sit 2,000 feet below Lake Erie, according to Fox 8.