UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE'S KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE SILICA SAND MINING INDUSTRY IN WISCONSIN

The recent surge in silica (a.k.a. frac) sand mining throughout much of Wisconsin has affected the economies, social fabric, and landscape in areas where mining is occurring. As of May 2014, Wisconsin had 121 silica sand mines in 18 counties. In many counties, it is the County Board Supervisors (board members) who are responsible for the permitting of these mines. Because of the critical role played by these board members, we created a survey to assess their perceptions and levels of knowledge concerning silica sand mining. The survey, which consisted of ten questions, was distributed to the 382 board members in counties with silica sand mining activities. Board members with a public email address were asked to complete an online Qualtrics survey; others received a letter with a paper survey. We received responses from 98 board members resulting in a response rate of 26%. Survey results suggest a majority of respondents have a general understanding of the qualities that make silica sand valuable (e.g., 65% of respondents listed characteristics such as roundness, hardness, and uniformity of the silica sand grains as being desirable). However, the results also revealed that some aspects of silica sand mining, such as how silica sand differs from aggregate, were not widely understood. The most common responses regarding potential positive impacts of silica sand mining were jobs and local economic activity (61%). The most common concerns were air and/or water pollution (29%) and road damage due to heavy truck traffic (9%). Whereas the news media ranked as the most used source of information (17%), university-affiliated scientists, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Wisconsin Counties Association Frac Sand Task Force Handbook were most frequently cited as being reliable sources of information. Other sources, such as environmental organizations and the silica sand industry, were also more frequently cited than the media as being reliable. Results from this study suggest it is important for multiple sources to continue to be engaged in providing County Board Supervisors, and by extension, the general public, with information that will encourage evidence-based decision-making in regards to the range of potential impacts of the silica sand mining industry in communities across Wisconsin.