Sand plant gets preliminary OK from DNR
| By Chris Vetter |
| Chippewa Falls News Bureau |
| CHIPPEWA FALLS - The state Department of Natural Resources has made a preliminary determination that a sand mine planned for the town of Howard meets federal and state air pollution standards. The DNR will hold a public hearing on the plan at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at the Knights of Columbus, 236 Pumphouse Road, Chippewa Falls. Canadian Sand and Proppant plans to open a sand mine on an 80-acre tract of farmland in the town of Howard, west of Chippewa Falls. The sand would be trucked to a proposed Chippewa Falls processing plant. Residents in the town of Howard have objected to the plan, worrying about air and water quality, noise, safety with more truck traffic and concerns about road damage. The DNR is preparing to grant an "air pollution control construction permit," the agency stated in a news release. "This type of proposal normally does not have the potential to cause significant adverse environmental effects, and the DNR has not prepared an environmental assessment of the proposal. "This preliminary determination does not constitute approval from the Air Management Program or any other DNR sections, which may also require a review of the project." Canadian Sand and Proppant plans to build the processing facility on a 93-acre site in the northeast corner of Chippewa Falls. Up to 250 trucks of sand a day could be hauled to the plant. The company has stated it would spend $45 million to $50 million to build the facility, and the plant would create 55 jobs. The city's Plan Commission has been ordered by Chippewa County Judge Roderick Cameron to review a conditional use permit for the project and include more information about the project and its effect on the city. Officials from Canadian Sand and Proppant have not said when they plan to start digging at the mine site or building at the plant site. Vetter can be reached at 723-0303 or chris.vetter@ecpc.com. |