Trempealeau County Temporarily Shuts Down Frac Sand Mine That Didn’t Have Permit

A frac sand mine near the western Wisconsin village of Independence is the latest to be shut down temporarily by Trempealeau County, after officials issued a “stop work order” on Wednesday.

The mine, called Guza Pit, is owned and operated by Superior Silica Sands, a Texas-based company with two other Wisconsin operations. This is the third stop work order Trempealau County has issued to frac sand mines.

The order was issued after citizens alerted the county that the mine was operating without a required county permit. The mine was also found to be dumping wastewater from frac sand processing into an unlined pond. County regulations require wastewater pits to have linings to prevent chemicals from seeping into groundwater.

Local media reports say the Trempealeau County Land Management Department was working with attorneys for Superior Silica Sands, but the company hasn’t issued a statement and county officials have been advised not to comment.

The Guza Pit mine was recently annexed by Independence, but since that municipality hasn’t granted permits it’s not clear who has regulatory authority.