More Sand Mine Talk In La Salle County

There could be more public hearings for proposed sand mines in La Salle County.

The La Salle County Development Committee agreed to have the full county board decide whether there are public hearings about Mississippi Sand and Illinois Sand’s reclamation plans.  Mississippi Sand says they’ll offer the site near Starved Rock to the county and are willing to fill it with water.  Illinois Sand hasn’t detailed what their reclamation plan is along the Osage curves.

Environmental Services Director Mike Harsted says a hearing would likely be run by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and would only be about reclamation.  He’s trying to get the point across to sand mine opponents that the meeting wouldn’t be an open forum like the lengthy zoning hearings were in January.

County Board Member Rick Scott remains critical of Mississippi Sand’s project.  He voted against giving Mississippi Sand a variance for the floodplain ordinance today and says they’re “getting the easy way out” by filling a pit with water instead of filling it back in with soil.