Sand frac mining also called "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing is a process where frac sand is suspended in a liquid and infused into gas and oil wells in fractured of the earth at a very high pressure. This high pressure breaks open fractures even more and causes new fractures to form this allows for gas and oil to be more easily extracted. Frac sand is nearly pure quartz sand of a particular size and shape that must be well rounded and extremely hard of a uniform size to be used for sand frac mining. Before shipping the frac sand to the mining work site the sand undergoes a process of is being washed and dried. The sand is also checked for uniformity, and the usable sand is not sent to the mining site.
Where is sand frac mining in Wisconsin?
The states with the most frac sand mining include, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Wisconsin controls 75% of the frac sand market in the United States today. In Wisconsin sand frac mining is currently taking place in the sandstone formations of western and central Wisconsin. Due to several of Wisconsin's geologic formations being located near the surface and the sand meeting specified qualifications for frac san mining, Wisconsin is known for having some of the best frac sand in the country.
Figure 1. A map of the sandstone formations and active or developing frac sand mines and processing plants in Wisconsin. Map from the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History 2012 Survey (Frac Sand in Wisconsin).
What are some of the issues associated with sand frac mining in Western Wisconsin?
Some of the issues with sand frac mining in Western Wisconsin include, transportation routes for the frac sand. Roads need to be upgraded and receive routine maintenance that are apart of the sand haul routes. It is difficult for truck drivers to know which roads and be driven on and which counties or states have which restrictions for hauling sand.
Other concerns with frac sand mining include water and air pollution as well as endangering public health. The sand frac mining operations in Wisconsin are run without many regulations that account for environmental impacts or public health. Frac sand mining impacts the earth and the residents of Wisconsin by exposing locals to airborne particulate matter which damages lungs, chemicals are damaging surface waters, and communities are being exposed to these toxic chemicals as well. Also agriculture suffers by endangering the productivity of soils and ground water reserves and drawn down. Wisconsin laws regarding these issues are not taking into account the rapid growth of this industry.
Frac Sand Mining in the News:
Currently many local communities are working to stop frac sand mining or to prevent new mines from being installed. In Jackson County, Wisconsin local families have sued the AllEnergy Hixton as an attempt to stop them from opening a 750-acre mine. Their defense to the lawsuit is that the mine will create a lot of dust, noise, light, and blasting that will disrupt their lifestyles and decrease their property values. The fault on the project is causing it to loose money everyday. Financing to continue the project cannot be secured until the lawsuit is over. The mining project has all required permits and can begin the mining process as soon as the financing is finalized. The case is caught up on that AllEnergy is being sued over fictitious damages; the mine still hasn't been created. The case is expected to go to the court of appeals over if the mine can be in a lawsuit if it has yet to do any damage. This is a current example from February 10, 2017 that highlights the controversy and fear over the damages frat sand mines can cause.
How can GIS be used to further explore some of these issues?
In the United States numerous states and counties have enacted suspensions of frac sand mining until the extent the mining has on water supplies, public health, safety, and transportation infrastructure has been improved. GIS can be used a useful tool in working on all of these concerns.
GIS can be used to create a database or map of what roads local governments allow sand trucks to drive on and that can be updated to show road qualities. The map can include which roads require maintenance and should not be driven on. The case study on frac sand mining highlighted that it can be difficult to keep track of county and state justification across states, this can be easily done in GIS by setting up proper rules and restrictions within feature classes. Trains are also being used to transport sand; rail lines can be mapped using GIS as well.
Citations:
Case Study on Impacts of Sand Mining
http://midamericafreight.org/wp-content/uploads/FracSandWhitePaperDRAFT.pdfFrac Sand Mining. (n.d.). retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://conservationvoters.org/issues/frac-sand-mining/
Frac Sand Mining Fact Sheet
http://wcwrpc.org/frac-sand-factsheet.pdf
Hopeful frac sand operator seeks to boot court challenge. (2017, February 10). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/hopeful-frac-sand-operator-seeks-to-boot-court-challenge/article_dd921326-4020-5f18-b692-2ee17a94bb7d.html
