Rice County approves gravel mine near Nerstrand Big Woods State Park despite residents' environmental concerns

A group of Rice County residents are frustrated after their efforts to stop — or at least delay — the county's issuance of a gravel mining permit were rejected.

The Rice County Council voted 4-1 last week to issue a gravel mining permit in an area of ​​Northfield Township that some residents say is environmentally sensitive — and should be considered part of a larger swath of preserved land they call the “Great” Corridor of the Woods. »

Some residents in the area southeast of the town of Northfield are concerned about the impact of the Milestone Materials mine on groundwater, a local stream and wildlife in the area. Others object to the dust or increased truck travel anticipated during mining at the 12- to 14-acre site.

Anyone who understands “how watersheds work and knows something about larger conservation efforts in this area will know, I think, that this is not the right place for an aggregate pit,” said Kiara Jorgenson, professor of religion and environmental studies at St. Olaf College. lives about a mile from the mining property.

The Rice County Planning Commission recommended approving the mining permit in May.

Residents who banded together to voice their opposition also hoped the project would undergo an environmental assessment. More than 100 residents had asked the state for a brief environmental assessment, which was not initially required by state law. The state sent the decision back to the county, which voted to deny such review.

Julie Runkel, the county's director of environmental services, said Rice County “followed the process outlined in county ordinances and state statutes” and went “a step or two further” in responding to residents group’s concerns by holding a second public hearing and requesting a review. of Bolton and Menk, an engineering firm providing environmental planning services. The parcel is located in an area zoned for agriculture and mining is provisionally permitted there, she said.

Bolton and Menk's study “did not identify any significant environmental impacts that could not be addressed through standard permitting processes.”

Conditions imposed on the five-year permit – there are 26 in total – include the creation of a buffer zone along Prairie Creek, the body of water that runs through the mining site, which is wider than the The state demands, Runkel said.

The county and supporters of the mine note that it will meet gravel needs for construction projects in and near the county. They claim that locally available aggregates reduce the environmental impact, time and cost of transporting materials from more distant areas.

Jorgenson said she hasn't seen any evidence that the county is short on aggregate or that mining there is necessary.

Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha, who voted alone against denying the environmental review and permit, noted that the mining site is not far from Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, itself one of the “last vast stands of the Big Woods.” Woods” in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The Big Woods was a forested area once covering thousands of square miles in south-central Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

It is near a University of Minnesota natural research area, two wildlife management areas overseen by the DNR, and several acres of land put into conservation easements by families and a local organization to nonprofit, he said.

“We only have one Earth…and we have been abusing our natural resources for years,” Malecha said. “I firmly believe that we must do everything we can to protect what we have.”

Andrew Peters, a geologist with Wisconsin-based Milestone Materials, said the company had no comment on the permit or the project.

At a Rice County Board of Supervisors meeting held last week, more than two dozen people shared their thoughts on the proposed mining project, with most of them opposing it.

But some spoke in favor. Bill Holmblad, owner of Hillside Excavating, predicted truck traffic would be less than some feared. He said nearby residents would see their property values ​​increase due to the mine.

“You won't see anything, you'll just see a lake developing,” Holmblad said, adding that much of the mining would take place underwater.

In an interview, Erik Sahlin, who lives 8 miles from the mining site, said he thought the county should have done more to alert residents about the potential project. He called the area “a very special part of Rice County” and fears the permit could open the door to additional mining activities nearby or the construction of an asphalt plant on site.

Runkel did not respond to an emailed question about whether an asphalt plant had been discussed. Malecha said there were no official plans for a factory. That could change, he said.

Malecha said he tried to make one of the conditions of the permit — creating a berm with a 300-foot setback to separate the mine and creek — stricter, but “none of the commissioners would have agreed to that.”

“They were more concerned about the mining company getting every ounce of gravel,” he said.

Rice County commissioners debated the details of the permit conditions at length. They made an amendment regarding Saturday mining.

Commissioner Gerry Hoisington said he believed the board gave “enough opportunity” for the public to comment and that the process was transparent.

“There’s no hidden agenda anywhere, and I think that’s what good county government should be,” he said.