Sand Mining in Western Wisconsin

What is sand frac mining? Where is it in Wisconsin?

• It is the mining of sand to be used for hydrofracking, "a technique used to extract natural gas and crude oil from rock formations in other states" (WI DNR). The sand frac mining mainly takes place in western Wisconsin, as we can see in the map below. Wisconsin has a high quantity of sand resources.

Figure 1: Map of Wisconsin showing where sand frac mining takes place in the state.

What are some of the issues associated with sand frac mining in western Wisconsin?

• The silica sand has health impacts on mine workers and neighboring communities. Silica sand is known to cause a number of diseases such as silicosis, which is fibrotic scarring of the lungs. Air quality must be constantly checked for these reasons. 
• There are many toxic chemicals associated with the sand and the process of excavating the sand, that must be disposed of properly. For example polyacrylamide "is used to clarify frac sand wash water and contains residual amounts of acrylamide, a neurotoxin linked to cancer and infertility" (Startribune). This polyacrylamide must be disposed in a lined pond to avoid the toxin from absorbing into the ground and other possible water sources. 

Overview of how GIS will be used to further explore some of these issues as part of a class project

• GIS could be used in a number of ways for sand frac mining and already is in some cases. Obviously air quality is important to the state and the people of Wisconsin, so levels of the sand in the air could be geographically mapped. 
• Minnesota has embraced this technology to map the state in many ways involving sand frac mining, below you will see some examples. 
• What I'm trying to show with these maps is that the possibilities are endless. You can overlay maps that show sand frac mining and pollution, or sand frac mining and health impacts etc. 

Figure 2: Map of Minnesota showing silica sand resources and Railroads

Figure 3: Map of Minnesota showing intermodel freight terminals

Figure 4: Minnesota map showing silica sand resources and ecological subsections. 

Sources 

• http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/Sand.html
• http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/ISMMap.html (Map)
• http://www.startribune.com/wisconsin-county-shuts-down-frac-sand-operation-running-wild/278463561/ (News Article on proper disposing)
• file:///Users/rachelhopps/Downloads/23.%20March%20Final%20Silica%20Sand%20report.pdf (case study)
• http://midwestadvocates.org/news-events/news/frac-sand-mine-now-must-monitor-dust-air-quality/ (News Article on air quality)
• file:///Users/rachelhopps/Downloads/23.%20March%20Final%20Silica%20Sand%20report.pdf (Maps of Minnesota)