Silica Sand Mining
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Frac Sand Mining and the Disruption of Place, Landscape, and Community in Wisconsin
by Thomas Pearson, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Stout published by Human Organization Below are 3 files that you can download to see Crispin Pierce's, PhD, hard work on airborne particulates and Midwest Environmental Advocates responses to the Wisconsin Health Impact Assessment. Also, if you scroll down to the bottom of this page you can click on Crispin's June, 2015 document Sand Plant Particulate/Silica Research Update.
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A family farm with Hi-crush sand mine.
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Complaints about FUGITIVE DUST (dust leaving the mine site), contact
Tanner Connors, DNR Air Management Engineer , 715-839-3756, Tanner.connors@wisconsin.gov
Tanner Connors, DNR Air Management Engineer , 715-839-3756, Tanner.connors@wisconsin.gov
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Frac Sand, also known as a Propant, is variously sized grains of sand that is unusually prized for it's uniformity and hardness. It's used in oil and natural gas extraction, although certainly can be used in lots of other applications, including glass making, abrasives, and more.
Frac Sand in the oil and natural gas context is injected into underground wells, along with large quantity of water and assorted chemicals. Once inserted in the wells, a series of explosive charges are fired, and the frac sand is driven into the earth. Because of it's hardness, the sand keeps cracks open, so that oil and natural gas can be extracted. it's a way to further wring oil and gas out of areas that no longer have easily accessible underground pools of product available. It's used in North Dakota, Wyoming, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New York, among other places in the United States. The extraction process itself is called Fracing, and has caused a great deal of controversy because it can lead to contamination of local water supplies, as well as seismic activities, draw down water tables, and more. The film "Gasland" is an excellent primer on the topic of fracing, although it does not address frac sand mining. |
What happens to land when a sand mine operates?
When a sand mine begins operation the typical procedure is to clear the land of any trees and shrubbery. Before actually mining the sand, the top soil is pushed aside and piled with the intent of using it to cover the land after the sand is removed. This is called reclamation and usually involves some kind of planting of native plants. It is doubtful that any reclamation plan includes replanting trees to replace those destroyed. Moving the topsoil destroys the life (bacteria, organisms) of the soil. Reclamation is the process required by the DNR to replace the top soil after mining. Once the topsoil is placed on the land it will require testing and probably needs amendments such as manure, compost, or gypsum. According to Kevin McSweeney (soil scientist at UW Madison) one should not expect agriculture land from the reclamation process. Building soil takes time (5-10 years). McSweeney suggested that deep and diverse rooting perennials, legumes, and native grasses be planted initially. An additional concern develops when the layers beneath the top soil are replaced as they are not layered the same. Reclamation may include adding and burying piles of the "fines" left over as waste from the washing process. Fill may be brought in from outside the mine, thus introducing a "foreign" soil layer. The soil structure is simply never going to be returned to what it was. When the acres of open sand are exposed there is always the possibility the sand will be removed by wind and water. Water carrying sand away from a mine site results in erosion and silt runoff into surface waterways. Sand carried by the wind filters into nearby homes and clings to foliage, cars, machinery or whatever is in it's pathway. an open pit mine is a huge eyesore on the land. It is a dead area with only sand, lights, noise, and machinery. After a sand mining operation terminates mining an area they are required to reclaim the land. Basically, this amounts to taking the soil (top layer of ground) that was removed and piled during the mining process, and replacing it onto the newly formed land structure. There is an inherent problem in removing, piling, and moving topsoil to a new position. All the movement and repiling kills the life that is growing in the soil. The more topsoil is moved, the greater the loss. A mine owner who promises that the land will be returned to what it was needs to be questioned and confronted. Reclamation is not restoration. The information below will help a person understand soils, which will help the understanding of what happens during the reclamation process. |
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View the interactive map from the Wisconsin DNR for
Locations of industrial sand mines and processing plants in Wisconsin |
What's NewBlack River Falls land owners group launches effort to halt Frac Sand mining
Texas Company Buys Large Frac Sand Reserve In Western Wisconsin Other interesting items
Communities At Risk: Frac Sand Mining in the Upper Midwest A Report by Boston Action Research (a project of Civil Society Institute) dated Sept. 25, 2014 Other information @ http://www.bit.ly/fracsandmining Sand Plant Particulate/Silica Research Update by Crispin Pierce PhD, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire dated 7 June, 2013 Dr. Kevin Rodolfo, Professor Emeritus from the University of Illnois explains in a 4 part PDF "The layers of sand and why the fossil fuel industry wants it." The Economic Benefits and Costs of Frac-Sand Mining in West Central Wisconsin dated May 2013 |
