What is frac sand mining?
Frac sand is used for injecting into oil and gas wells under high pressure to enlarge fractures and create new ones. The fluid is then pumped out. Frac sand mining is the process of extracting this sand from the ground. The sand needed for this process must be of round, uniform size, quartz sand which is found in abundance in Western Wisconsin.
Where is frac sand found in Wisconsin?
The sand is taken from sandstone formations, which spread across Western Wisconsin. Below (Figure 1) is a map taken from the 2012 Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. This shows the spread of sandstone across Wisconsin. Notice how it is spread densely across the Central and Western side of the state. This distribution is caused by glacial deposits and results in round sand of a size perfect for industrial applications. There are other deposits in the Southern and Eastern side of the state, but these grains tend to be smaller and more angular, which is less useful for industrial applications.
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| Figure 1: Locations of sandstone formations across Wisconsin |
What are some of the issues associated with sand frac mining in Western Wisconsin?
The magnitude of the environmental impact varies greatly depending on the type of operation and the location. Common impacts are described below.
Frac sand mining produces a significant amount of air pollution. This is from two sources. The first is dust that is released during the blasting process and the subsequent handling of the sand. The second is from the machinery used to extract and process the sand, such as extraction equipment, generators, pumps, heavy transportation vehicles, and more.
Water pollution is also a result of the process. This is more site-specific than air pollution. Water pollution is created from several sources, including cleaning, transportation, dust control, and sorting. These can contaminate water with industrial chemicals and affect the availability of water for nearby wells.
Another impact of the mining is the effect it has on the land surface. Reaching and extracting the sand requires vegetation to be removed, which affects wildlife habitats. A reclamation process is possible on some mines after they are closed, but this process is difficult and expensive. Noise is also a problem during the process, which similarly affects local wildlife.
Traffic from transportation equipment is also a concern. These heavy transportation vehicles causes significant wear on roads and can be a burden by blocking local traffic.
How GIS will be used to further explore these issues
GIS can be used to study how certain areas will be impacted by sand mines. Environmental data including wildlife, water, air quality, and climate data can be used to predict possible impacts. For example, fish habitats could be compared with likely water pollution scenarios to determine how the habitat will be affected. Climate data could also be assessed to determine where and how far the air pollution from mines would travel.
Non-environmental impacts can also be studied. The wear of roads could be predicted along with traffict impacts. Noise pollution could also be predicted for those living nearby a mine.
GIS systems are critical to predicting impact of virtually every aspect of sand mines. This data can be used to find optimal locations for these mines to minimize negative impacts.
SOURCES
Brown, Bruce. "Frac Sand in Wisconsin." Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (2012): n. pag. Wcwrpc.org. Web.
Pearson, Thomas W. "Frac Sand Mining in Wisconsin: Understanding Emerging Conflicts and Community Organizing." Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment 35.1 (2013): 30-40. Wisconsin DNR. Jan. 2012. Web.
Kremer, Rich. "Is Frac Sand Mining Causing Metal Contamination In Groundwater?" Wisconsin Public Radio. N.p., 14 Oct. 2016. Web. 02 Mar. 2017.
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