Thursday, October 4, 2018

For WI waters, orange is the new brown. Or blue-green.

Well, Bucky, your DNR has enabled brown water, and blue-green water, so add orange to your color-coded collection of water-borne contaminants.

In 10 million gallon increments.
10 million gallons of mine sludge turns Trempealeau River orange; officials investigating spill after dramatic rescue
Penalty free:
Wisconsin DNR: No fine for Trempealeau County mine spill
Despite the video.
Frac sand mine mishap turns a river orange
Which is how it all works in a state where the DNR is now intentionally-managed with a 'chamber of commerce mentality,' not according to its old-timey environmental mission.

There's a DNR photo below of a Wisconsin frac sand mine, but the agency doesn't feature their up-to-date their numbers.

DNR webpages have some frac sand information, posted here, but note that the page hasn't been updated since May 25, 2016, as it makes clear: 
Current site totals and spreadsheet
Current mining operations are primarily located in West Central Wisconsin, but there are also facilities in Burnett, Green Lake, Outagamie and Waupaca Counties. The following table and the interactive map contain information that is current as of May 23, 2016:
Total Number of Industrial Sand Facilities (Mines, Processing & Rail Loading)128. 
Number of Active Facilities 92.
Number of Inactive Facilities 32. 
Number of Facilities Reclaimed/In Process of Final Reclamation 4 


Aerial view of Badger site


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