DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING FIELD STUDIES TO EVALUATE FRAC SAND MINE RECLAMATION

The demand for industrial sand has increased exponentially in the past five years for use in hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas-rich shale formations. With more than 60 active mines, Wisconsin has quickly become the largest producer of frac sand with some mines in west central Wisconsin exceeding more than 1,000 acres. Due to the extensive scale of frac sand mining, there is significant potential for soil and hydrologic impacts. Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 135 requires that mining sites be reclaimed to a post mining land use; however, reclamation has largely focused on site stabilization. The unique physiographic setting of frac sand mines makes reclamation especially challenging. Frac sand is generally mined from upland wooded ridgetops where soils are naturally rocky, thin, and nutrient poor. There is little information on best management practices or techniques for successful reclamation in these settings. A five year study in Chippewa County, Wisconsin is evaluating the impacts of sand mining on soil physical, chemical, and hydrologic properties and processes through quantification of pre and post mining condition of the soil. In addition, the study is quantifying the use of soil fertility amendments and waste fine material from sand processing on soil properties and establishment of ecologically diverse native prairie plant communities.