Fracking Resources: A Personal Environmental Analysis

I feel very fortunate to live in the South Eastern corner of Minnesota. It is a beautiful and unique area approximately in the middle of what is known as the Driftless area. As you can see by the topographical map that this part of the Midwest has a ruff terrain. High bluffs surrounding the Mississippi River and hills with narrow valleys are tucked between them. This area is said to be unglaciated. The bedrock supporting the bluffs mainly contains limestone, sandstone and shale. The area around the Driftless area was flattened by glacers and filled in with deposits as the glaciers melted giving the terrain a much flatter appearance and leaving the bedrock deeper beneath the surface. Since I live in such a unique and beautiful area, when
Wisconsin has seen an even more dramatic increase to currently having 92 mines.
During frac sand mining the top sediment and vegetative layer are stripped back until the bed rock is exposed. Explosives are used to break the rock apart so it can be crushed into individual grains. The sand then needs to be processed by washing to with water and chemicals before being shipped to fracking sites.
My first concern about frac sand mining is health issues resulting from changes in the air and water quality from frac sand mining. The process of breaking up and crushing the bedrock releases particulates of dust into the air. This dust can be an irritant when trapped in your lungs and cause inflammation, scarring or fibrosis.
During the processing of the sand, it is sprayed with water and chemicals to remove impurities, holding tanks or ponds are often used at the site. During this procedure contaminated water often seeps into the ground. If enough of it reaches the water table gastrointestinal or stomach issue could result to those drinking the
It is common to canoe or kayak on the tributary rivers of the Mississippi. Fishing and recreational boating is common on the Mississippi river. Pro Bass Fishing tournaments are held here on a regular basis. Hiking, cave exploring and rock climbing are common along the bluffs. Bike trails are also linked throughout the area so people can get out and enjoy the scenic beauty of the area. Sand mining would take away from that beauty and make it a less desirable tourist location.
I do understand that frac sand mining would bring in jobs and employment options to the members in the community. If you own property that is a valued site for mining, it could be quite profitable if sold or selling of the mining writes. Some people feel it is their property and they should be able to do what they want with it. Perhaps with regulation and guidance from the Environmental Quality Board, DNR and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Frac sand mining could be done in an environmentally friendly