Sand Mines and the Toxins They Produce in Local Water

Toxic residual acrylamides will result from the flocculation procedures that are part of processing of sand. This may contaminate all water that leaves the sand mine processing plant. We don't know where the millions of gallons of processing water Unimin plans to use will go.  Is it down into the ground or will it be piped somewhere?  Obviously the residual acrylamides should be monitored in the surface and soil water after Unimin processes it.

Unimin and Tomah Water: Chemicals? Drought? What's the Impact?

Dear Mayor and city council members,
 
I would love to call you all personally and discuss this, but with the meeting being tonight, I wanted to make sure you all considered different aspects of supplying Unimin with water besides the financial aspect of it.
 
I was read the letter you all received from the city administrator that explained all the wonderful financial benefits the City of Tomah would receive by supplying Unimin with their water supply.  That is the good aspects of voting yes tonight.  I am asking you to vote no.
 
I understand the vote tonight is to change the ordinance so further discussions can be make with Unimin on a developers agreement.  Please vote no.  My reasons are as follows:
 
1. First and foremost, Unimin told the town of Greenfield that they would be using 70 gallons per minute for their processing of sand.  Now they are saying they will need 1000 gallons per minute.  Their explanation during last night's town hall meeting was that they didn't have the information from their sub contracting company that they have now.  This made no sense to many people in the audience.  Unimin claims to be number on in their field and have been doing business well over 100 years.  How could they have a margin of error from 70 gallons per minute (which did not require them to get a high capacity well) to now 1000 gallons per minute?  With them being so incorrect here, are they incorrect in asking for 1 million per day as well? 
 
2. Has Unimin told the city what chemicals are used in the processing of sand?  And what happens to this water (and chemicals) once the sand is processed?  It goes back into the ground water.  It's "recycled."  So what happens with these chemical that are being used? 

3. What if there is a drought?  Will Unimin stop the processing of sand during those times?
 
4.  WHY DOES UNIMIN NOW NEED TOMAH'S WATER SUPPLY???  What has changed?  They told us last night that Greenfield has enough water to supply them.  So why do they need Tomah's?  Have they answered this question?  From my understanding at last night's meeting they expected a layer of shale that the aquifer sits below for them to drill their well into.  They admitted that when they drilled, this layer of shale was not there which surprised them.  I am no geologist, but my impression is that they don't know what will happen if they use 1 million gallons of water per day from Greenfield.  Since there is not the level of shale under this sand supporting the aquifer, what will happen to the homes and land near these wells?  Will it sink?  Is this why the want other water sources?  I suggest that Tomah hire a geologist to study this before they vote yes to the changing or the ordinance.
 
One thing I have learned from Unimin is that you have to take all of their responses with a grain of salt.  They have some wonderful and smart people working for their company who are good at telling people what they want to hear.   Hire a geologist to study this and educate you all before you vote!
 
There is no reason for Tomah to rush into changing this ordinance. These council people need to be cautious and educate themselves on every part of what a sand mine will do and not just the wonderful financial aspects of it! I'm not saying Tomah should not allow this eventually, but please, be responsible and educate yourselves first.  Unimin needs this water.  Voting No today does not mean it can't be voted on at a later time.  Please be responsible and get educated before you blindly give the popular and expected vote.  Let's understand the real reasons WHY Unimin now needs to tap into the City of Tomah's water supply first.  And don't go off what Unimin tells you.  Let's find out from a licenced geologist that is not being paid by Unimin. 
 
Jamie Gregar
 

Top Ten Concerns About Unimin Buying Tomah Water

Dear Mr. Mayor and distiguished members of the city council,

I'm writing you to request that you create a committee to study  Unimin's request that the city of Tomah sell water to Unimin. The committee should weigh the benefits of such an agreement against the possible costs. 

Here are a few questions.

1. Last summer Unimin stressed that they would not need a high capacity well, and said that they would need about 60 gallons per minute, which is less than 100,000 gallons a day. This means that six months out they are asking for ten times the amount of water that they said they would need in July. That's a huge difference.They said they would recycle the water and would need water only to replace that which evaporated. Now they want ten times that. Next summer, what will they want? Ten million gallons a day? The city of Tomah currently uses 1.3 million gallons per day. Six months after moving to the area, Unimin wants almost as much water as the city now consumes.

2. What does Unimin need this much water for? One representative of the DNR I talked to was quite surprised at this volume. It is very high. When they are done with the water, where will it go? Will there be contaminants in it? Keep in mind that Unimin does what it wants and then asks permission--just look at this story about the noncompliance letter  the DNR sent it for starting construction without the required air permit. 

3. A  big water booster pumping station just beyond Toro on the southeast side of the city had to be abandoned six or seven years ago because of benzene. Digging wells give contaminants like that new routes. There is always a risk of contamination when you dig a well--is digging a well to sell water to a business outside the city worth it?

4. What will this mean for city residents? Will this deplete the city's water? How long does Unimin want this much water?

5. You'll be drilling into a water supply that supplies not just the city of Tomah but surrounding communities. Will this deplete the water supply of eastern Monroe County--residential areas, farms, cranberry growers, lakes, fishing streams? What if there is a water shortage and water has to be rationed? Who has priority? The people? Or Unimin? 

6. Where will city residents get their drinking water if their water becomes contaminated?

7. What are the city ordinances governing sending city water to a commercial entity? 

9. Town and Country Engineering has reassured you that 365 million gallons of water a year will have no impact on the city's water supply. How far out have they looked? Have they looked at its impact on neighboring communities?  Apparently, they said that Tomah sits above a massive lake. According to the folks I talked to at the DNR, this is not the case. Tomah sits atop a sponge of consolidated sandstone and a lot of loose sand. Then, you hit granite and you hit it fast. This requires further study. Will Town and Country bid on the Unimin project? Do they do similar work for other entities? Are they looking five years down the road? Thirty? Under what circumstances could water run out?

10. Mayor Rusch, I very much appreciate the time you spent with me on the phone yesterday. You talked of the benefits of a $100 million mine to the tax base. But what is a good tax base worth if it costs you the water that you drink and the air that you breathe? Remember, the city of Tomah is downwind of this mine. Remember, silica dust, which is too fine to see and travels great distances, causes silicosis, which is ultimately fatal. 

Thanks very much for your time!

Kate Rice

Unimin Tells the DNR This is Not Removing Topsoil

Click on read more below to see the movie. Click here to read the Tomah Journal article.

Why Greenfield Should Pass a Mining Ordinance

Unimin may have an agreement with the town of Greenfield but the township still needs protection from other sand mine companies. Here's town attorney Rick Radcliffe recommending that the town pass an ordinance that could give it protection from future sand mines that could move into the township.

Tunnel City Sand Mine Update

Tuesday, Oct. 11 -- Steve Groening, special projects manager for the 500-plus-acre sand mine that Unimin Corporation is building in Tunnel City, said at last night's regularly monthly town of Greenfield meeting that the mine should be producing sand by the end of 2013.

Groening, who is the on-the-ground guy for the Tunnel City sand mine, gave an update about what Unimin is doing.

- Currently geological drilling is under way with an extensive team of geologists and drill teams drilling definition holes.
- The DNR has issued permits to construct roads through wood lots for the drill pads.  Red stakes indicate drill pads.
- Initial preparation for the building site is under way--150 acres are being cleared. Unimin said earlier this summer that it would mine in 150-acre sections.
- Next: stripping timber and top soil. Unimin will mix timber chips with top soil to create mulch to be stored in stock piles.
- Unimin will re-vegetate as it works, creating  undulating mounds and covering them with the mulch mixture.
- Unimin will make an effort to conceal the plant from Hwy. 21.
- There will be heavy traffic. Groening said that there will be an impact and residents should not hesitate to contact the Township or Unimin with any concerns.
- Negotiations regarding the road to Hwy. 21 continue, involving Wisconsin's DOT, both railroads.
- There will be a bridge "over the top of the tracks" leading to the plant.   Construction of that "bridge" will begin late this fall.  Until then traffic will go through Tunnel City.
- The cleanup effort at Flamingo and Flag was begun.   Any man-made debris has been hauled away--septic tanks, etc.  There will be a big difference by the end of October.
- Groening said that town chair Steve Witt, Unimin and the Department of Natural Resources will decide upon the location of the new recycling center that it is building for the town as part of a development agreement between the town and Unimin. Some wetland issues remain to be resolved.
- Unimin did not plan to purchase the 5.61 acres on which the former dump was located 20 years ago because the site was never cleared by the DNR when it was closed, but Unimin has now agreed to purchase it and to cover it with sand.  
One member of the audience asked if the town would be liable if the site were found to be contaminated but the board's response was that nothing has surfaced in 20 years and Unimin intends to cover it with sand, there should be no problems.
- Unimin will cover the $1,555 worth of expenses caused by special meetings throughout the summer although this was not part of its agreement with the town.
- No report from the subcommittee working on a ordinance to govern future sand mines moving into the area. Witt said that town attorney Rick Radcliffe is working on this with the state's Town Board Association, but work is going slowly.
- A special meeting will be held Nov. 21 to approve the resolution vacating Flagg and Flamingo Avenues--the township is turning these roads over to Unimin as part of the development agreement.

- One member of the audience proposed hiring a new town assessor. Town board member Gary Shutter said he, too, had some issues with the assessor.

Coming soon: video of last night's meeting and Rick Radcliffe's speech encouraging the town to pass a sand mining ordinance to govern future sand mines.

Tunnel City Sand Mine Information Meeting

An overflow crowd attended an informational meeting Unimin held last night about the new sand mine. The main presenters from Unimin were Drew Bradley, senior VP of operations; Steve Groening, special projects manager, who is the on-the-ground guy for Tunnel City and did most of the presentation, Chuck Collins, also a VP and Michael E. Wallenius, another VP. Their land man, who acquired property, Bill Rogers, was also there.

Town of Greenfield residents learn about their new neighbor: a sand mine.

Here were their major points. 

* They appear to face few regulatory hurdles and have apparently achieved the one major one: filing their reclamation plan with Monroe County. The state of Wisconsin has no mining regulations, they say. They will do some of their own environmental evaluations but there is no environmental impact study required. Water is the main concern--wetlands, and streams. It must also get an air permit. 

* The mining will take place above the water table as the plan is currently envisioned. But they stressed that all of this is very preliminary, they say they have been in the area only for a few weeks, so there’s still much they just don’t know. They say they will do hydrologic studies. Some locals expressed their concern, saying that a tunnel operation in previous years left them with sand in their wells.

* Will they need high capacity wells? They don’t know. They say if they do use water they will have a pond that they will line, recycle and reuse. They use the water to wash and “size” the sand. They don’t know how much water they’ll use.

* Perch springs--basically higher springs--would be affected but they say only the springs on the actual sand mine property would be affected. 

* Spring Bank is well below the elevation of any land they’ll use, Unimin says, and they say that means its water will not be affected.

* Noise. They say the processing plant will be completely enclosed and say we will not hear any noise from that. However, they did not address the noise of excavating equipment and many at the meeting expressed concern about that, citing the way everyone can hear the tractor pull. 

* Lighting. They direct lighting into operations sites and use shields and deflectors to limit that impact. 

* Possible challenge: the Northern Natural Gas line dead ends here. It is fairly maxed out and that fact was a deal killer for a 24x7 glass factory. Unimin says it is aware of that. 

* Plant location. They will try to somewhat camouflage it with trees or perhaps having it partially hidden by a ridge. 

* Dust. They say they use state-of-the art dust collectors and emission control. All we’ll see is steam escaping the plant, that steam is part of the process of removing moisture to the sand. Unimum is a self-described leader in dust collection. They said that wind won’t blow any dust because the only exposed part will be the active mine site. They did not make clear how wind will not blow sand and dust from the active mine site.

* PM2.5 They says these regulations are brand new, they don’t have to monitor for it, but it is not a concern because of their dust and emission controls. 

* They expect to spend $100 million, pump $15 to $20 million into the local economy annually and provide 50 to 70 full-time jobs--how many of those will be filled by locals was unclear.

Local TV crews interview Unimin's Bradley

* Impact on adjacent land values. Two people expressed concern about the sand mine devaluing their homes. Bradley’s initial response: people lose money on their homes for many reasons. He lost a lot on his. Another man said that he was about to retire but now fears that his home, which essentially represents his retirement, will be so devalued that he can’t retire. Bradley said that overall, Unimin’s mines have a positive impact on local economies. Others said that they did not believe that would help people whose homes are right next to the green line, referring to the green line sketched on a map the Unimin executives presented at the meeting.

* When done--and this is a 20- or 30-year operation--the area will still have contoured topography but it won’t be a replica of what it was. They will reclaim the land and seek local input as to how they revegetate--trees, plants, etc.

* They’re the biggest operator in the business, they say. This 500-acre (maybe bigger) mine would be their biggest and would produce one to two million tons of sand a year. Tunnel City sits on a veritable gold mine of the right kind of sand for “frac sand” used for extracting natural gas and oil. It’s also next to a railroad, which makes it equally attractive. They bought a 20-acre packet of land, did initial drilling, the results were favorable. Then they started buying up large tracts of land--100 acres and more--and then smaller. As far as acquisitions go, “We are not by any means finished with that process,” Groening said. They bought the land under the name Eagle Land Investment to prevent their competitors from moving in and grabbing the land out from under them, not to deceive locals, they said. 

* Groening said that Unimin is the most conscientious player in the business. It’s the biggest, it’s the most professional and it is not a fly by night operation. It participates in environmental organizations, he said. 

* Unimin is a conscientious mining company, they say, one that works to reclaim land. Their process at Tunnel City would be to deforest (they’re not sure how they would get the trees out yet but say they’ve gotten calls from locals who want to be hired to do the job), take off the overlayer above the sand from one section, take out actual sand from another, and start reclaiming the land on already mined areas. The idea is not to leave a massive black hole. They will have buffer zones around the property, they said, they won’t mine right up to property lines. 

* There was some criticism of town board chair Steve Witt; Unimin stressed that Witt has not been involved in any sales at all, although there have been transacations with family members.

* Many in the audience expressed concern about the quality of life in the area--noise, traffic, impact on hunting, fishing, springs.

One member of the audience was the most eloquent: “There’s great trout fishing, graet hunting, springs all over the place, if you do your study, what if some trout streams dry up? What if you do have some impact after you spend your $100 million? What about us little guys?”

Bradley: “If we turn out to be wrong and we have impact, you do have recourse, we can’t go mess with your property.”

One man in the crowd said: “Bow hunting ain’t going to be worth a dime any more.” 

The Monroe County Land Conservation office recommends that everyone have their wells inspected now so you have a benchmark to measure against in the future to demonstrate any impact.