Protesters of a frac-sand mine that will be operating on land adjacent to Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County in North Central Illinois.
LaSalle County – Starved Rock State Park looks to be one more casualty on the list of hydraulic fracture mining-related victims.
The gold-rush, boom-style business of “frac-sand” mining appears to have set its sights on Illinois, and unfortunately the decimation of natural resources, like state parks, is not the only negative effect that the juggernaut business has on its surroundings.
The exact size of these grains of frac-sand have been specified by frackers. Sand mines use chemicals to separate the unwanted sand from water. Eventually the chemically treated, unwanted silt and wash water are pumped back into the sand mine’s surroundings.
Sand mining is a commonly overlooked side effect of the fracking boom. “Frac sand” refers to the fine, white silica or quartz sand that is in high demand for use in hydraulic fracturing. Frackers need it to prop open cracks in deep underground shale deposits, allowing natural gas and oil to flow toward the surface. The best sand for fracking has relatively pure quartz grains which are hard enough to withstand the pressure deep below the earth, and round enough to allow natural gas and oil to flow around them easily.
Frackers are relatively particular about their sand… even making specifications about the exact size of the grains. As sand is filtered, the unwanted grains of sand are washed away from desired frac-sand. Mining companies then treat the dirty wash water with chemicals called flocculants that cause unwanted particles to sink faster so the water can be reused.
Widespread use of polyacrylamide by sand mining operations as a flocculant is cause for concern in LaSalle County. Polyacrylamide contains acrylamide, a known neurotoxin linked to cancer and infertility.
Mississippi Sand LLC, the mining company building the Starved Rock sand mine, plans to use polyacrylamide. The approved mining site sits on land that drains into the Horseshoe Creek, which flows into Starved Rock State Park, and eventually into the Illinois River. The Illinois EPA will allow the mine to discharge 1.4 to 5.1 millions of gallons of stormwater and pit pumpage per day into the Horseshoe Creek.
Mississippi Sand LLC plans to employ a phased mining program which will allow the company to circumvent the need to get a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers for wetland impacts before the company starts mining. Disclosure has learned that Ernat’s Marsh, a rare salt marsh in Illinois, is apparently slotted for destruction during Phase III of the mining. While there are no endangered plants or animals calling the marsh home, the marsh itself is an Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (INAI) Site.
This logo is from the OSHA handbooks regarding the dangers of silica dust.
Silica dust is another hazard to communities within the vicinity of sand mines producing frac-sand. Silica dust is classified as a human carcinogen. While there are strict standards in place to protect employees of sand mines from silica dust exposure, the EPA does not monitor silica dust as a hazardous air pollutant.
Winds in LaSalle County are known to be intense; so much so that a wind farm is located near the sand mine.
Complications from exposure to silica dust (Silicosis) are:
Tuberculosis
Lung Cancer
Chronic Bronchitis
Heart Attacks
Autoimmune or Chronic Kidney Disease
Connective Tissue Disorder
The upshot of this matter is this: Fracking may have some merit to the nation’s fuel consumption problem….but the attendant dangers of it are not being made widely known. Just a little bit of investigation, as done for this piece, shows peripheral problems fracking may incur for those living in the vicinity of the industries that support fracking; and those living there may be completely unaware of. Is there more as regards inherent danger due to the fracking industry? There certainly is…and we’ll uncover that in future articles.
In the meantime, you can show your support to these groups…
https://www.facebook.com/starvedrockstatepark