Sand and Gravel - This is a selection of pictures
from the reclamation of several sand and gravel operations around the country. The
pictures show how the quarried and mined land was returned to recreational, office parks
and other human use as well as conversions to wetlands. Examples are shown for post-mining
uses:
474
Sand Mine owned by Rinker Materials and
located in Clermont, Florida, has been presented with the National Stone,
Sand & Gravel Association’s Gold Environmental Eagle Award. More
than 1,000 students have participated in educational programs at the 474
Sand Mine.
Aggregate Companies Ongoing Wildlife Enhancement.
Many companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year improving wildlife
habitat. These are a few examples.
Aggregate Industries is proud of their long-standing commitment to the
environment and has recently been honored with several prestigious awards
that exemplify this commitment.
Anderson Creek
Granite Quarry was
honored with 2004 Overall Winner and Best Reclamation – Quarry
awards from the Virginia Aggregates Association and the Virginia
Department of Mineral Mines.
Reclaimed Aggregate pits or quarries have
been converted to industrial and commercial properties, office parks, golf courses, parks
and recreation areas, stormwater management, farmland, and landfills.
Ashmore Brothers is a paving
business located in the upstate of South Carolina. The Highway
#418 Sand Mine supplied river sand for their asphalt operation from 1990 to 1997.
river sand was pumped from a dredge in the Enoree River to a screening plant on a leased
5-acre tract of land.
Beckman Quarry
and
two other Martin Marietta facilities from the San Antonio district were
recognized for their commitment to environmental excellence
Brigham
City Facility received the Environmental
Eagle Award.
For over 50 years,
Staker & Parson Companies has helped build Utah with the best rock products,
concrete, asphalt, paving, and construction services available.
Cabarrus
Quarry in North Carolina,
operated by Vulcan Materials Company,
was awarded the National Stone Sand and Gravel Association’s 2004 Gold
Environmental Eagle Award.
A
volunteer wildlife team at Cabarrus Quarry manages over 150 acres of the
312-acre site for wildlife habitat.
Casey
Quarry in Illinois, operated by Vulcan Materials Company, was awarded
the National Stone Sand and Gravel Association’s 2004 Silver Environmental
Eagle Award.
Vulcan restored a sizeable portion of
the land to its natural state through a process it calls “concurrent
mining.”
Chaney
Enterprises. The Mardis site on the banks of the Patuxent River in southern
Anne Arundel County, Maryland, was reclaimed as a world-class replica
golf course, known as Renditions Golf Grand Slam Experience.
Cherokee
Quarry is
involved in the Adopt-a-School program with Cherokee Elementary. Products
produced at the quarry include agricultural lime, asphalt aggregate, chemical
stone, concrete aggregate, and manufactured sand.
Cherry Valley Sand & Gravel Corporation was
awarded the Interstate Mining Compact Commission's Reclamation Award in the Non-Coal
Category. The mine was reclaimed to a beautiful recreational area with bike paths and a
lake.
Conco
Quarries, Inc. works hard to stay in compliance with all
environmental laws, but it is committed to go above and beyond what is
demanded by law.
Copeland Sand and Gravel, Oregon mind
in the Applegate River for 30 years. They found a way to continue to extract gravel that
would not be detrimental to fish and wildlife and would not impact water quality.
Dousman Vulcan Materials Company has
successfully established a Certified Wildlife Habitat (through the Wildlife Habitat
Council) adjacent to the active Dousman Sand and Gravel facility in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
The site consists of 32 acres of diverse habitat, which was a previously mined area.
The
Dousman Plant in Wisconsin was awarded the National Stone Sand and
Gravel Association’s 2004 Gold Environmental Eagle Award.
The
Downington Quarry in
Pennsylvania was awarded the National Stone Sand and Gravel Association’s
2004 Gold Environmental Eagle Award.
The award is a recognition for a
superior understanding and implementation of increasingly complex
environmental compliance requirements.
E.L. Gardner, Inc., Maryland. - A park
was developed for the use and enjoyment of the community. Ball fields, a picnic pavilion,
and walking trail are some of the park's amenities that the community is now able to use
and enjoy.
The
Francesville Quarry
operated by Vulcan Materials Company in Indiana was awarded the National
Stone Sand and Gravel Association’s 2003 Silver Environmental Eagle Award.
Galster
Sand and Gravel Pit is approximately
36 acres, 20 feet deep, and was excavated for gravel above and below the water
table. Kinsella instituted procedures to protect the environment surrounding the
pit, stockpiled topsoil to allow for re-vegetation of all disturbed areas,
and created a lake from the exposed aquifer.
Glacier Northwest. The White River Quarry, an aggregate
mine originally developed in the 1930s, underwent a massive makeover to comply with
current environmental standards.
Glencoe
Quarry is the recipient of the NSSGA Showplace Award. Products
produced at the quarry include asphalt aggregate, and concrete aggregate.
Graham
Quarry.
Employees and community members help manage over 150 acres of the 450-acre
Graham VA II Quarry for wildlife habitat from monitoring nest boxes,
planting butterfly and hummingbird gardens as well as planting over 2,000
native trees.
Grove Stone & Sand Quarry.
Hedrick Industries has been recognized by the Western North
Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency for their outstanding
efforts to improve air quality in the region. Grove Stone & Sand Quarry has also constructed a
nature trail, planted plots of clover and rye to attract
deer and wild turkeys and converted an old landfill into a
butterfly garden.
Hanson Aggregates - Pulaski Quarry. The
Pulaski Quarry’s reclamation program has helped the environment and enhanced wildlife
habitat.
Hanson Fossil Park - An old cement
quarry exposed locally famous fossils. Hanson Aggregates converted the quarry into a park
so the public could have safe access to this very interesting site.
Hendersonville
Quarry in North Carolina was awarded the National Stone Sand and
Gravel Association’s 2003 Silver Environmental Eagle Award. The
Hendersonville Quarry is a certified Wildlife Habitat Council site.
Hunter Darden III, Mine #1, Virginia.
- The
land use planning and reclamation efforts were voluntary and far exceeded the requirements
of Virginia's mining reclamation law. The efforts and completed works were due to the
landowner's interest in wildlife. He established wildlife food plots, stocked the ponds
with fish, installed game shelters, and planted fruit trees.
The
Kilby Road Plant received the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources 2004
Industrial Minerals Mining Reclamation Award and an honorable mention from the Interstate Mining Compact Commission.
LaFarge Aggregates, UK. Companies like Lafarge
Aggregates have over many decades developed and applied techniques to ensure that sites
are carefully selected, designed and restored, in many cases creating habitats that
support rare species.
Lake County Grading of Libertyville, Inc. - The reclamation
practices at the site restored the land to its natural state in addition to providing an
open space area for the community of Lake County, Illinois, to use and enjoy.
Lake
Norman Quarry was awarded the National Stone Sand and Gravel
Association’s 2004 Silver Environmental Eagle Award.
Lawrenceville Quarry
is an excellent example of the conscientious use of environmental control and concurrent
reclamation to minimize the impacts of mining on its surroundings. Located in Brunswick
County, Virginia, the facility is one of the State’s eastern most quarries.
Lawrenceville Plant
is a Wildlife Habitat Council certified site. It encompasses 662 acres, of
which approximately 43 acres are currently dedicated to habitat
enhancements for the benefit of local wildlife.
Luck Stone Corp.
Boscobel Plant. - Corporate policy at Luck Stone emphasizes environmental
stewardship and maintaining good relations with regulatory agencies.
Luck
Stone, King William Sand & Gravel -
received “Honorable Mention” in VTCA’s award
reclamations program, Best Reclamation-Quarry.
Manassas
Quarry employees continue to dedicate their time and efforts to
improving and creating new wildlife habitat programs.
Manitoulin
Quarry represents the Wildlife Habitat Council’s first “Corporate
Campaign for Migratory Bird Conservation” project beyond the borders of
the United States. This site consists of almost 5,000 acres of
strategically located migratory bird habitat.
Martin Marietta - Franklin Sand and Gravel. From
the very beginning, Franklin has operated in a conscientious manner, displaying both
innovation and forethought.
The
Mercer Stone Quarry
has been presented with an award for reclamation for outstanding
and long term commitment to minimizing environmental disturbance, while
maximizing aesthetic improvements to its areas of operation.
Milton
Quarry, in Ontario, received the 2003 Stars of Excellence for Highest
Achievement award from the National Stone Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA).
The rehabilitation design promotes a diversity of habitats with many plant
and animal communities.
Oklahoma Partnership -
Abandoned Mine Lands reclamation project fixed an unsave steep, narrow road between two
highwalls. 40-foot highwalls with water-filled pits on either side of the road were filled
in.
Porter's Concrete Service. Revegetation methods
include research and experiments with soil chemistry and plant species. The post-reclamation land uses at both mines provide
substantial economic value.
The
Presque Isle Quarry consists of more than
5,000 acres of bays, estuaries and isolated wetlands surrounded by mixed
hardwoods and grasslands.
RMC Aggregates Bush Farm
Site. The site has been fully restored to agriculture. Their agricultural restoration
techniques have been introduced more widely into industry practice.
Rockingham
Quarry employees partnered with local scout troops to help with
installing and monitoring boxes on-site. Currently, there are twelve
bluebird boxes, six bat houses and eight wood duck boxes located
throughout the property.
The
Royal Stone Quarry is comprised of 142 acres with 16 acres
available for wildlife management. There are three ponds on-site as well
as open fields, streams, mowed lawns and a forested area.
The
Shalersville environmental
restoration and residential development project has created lakes to
collect surface run-off and trap suspended solids to protect water
quality in the Cuyahoga River.
The
Skippers Quarry mine has been presented
with numerous awards such as the NSSGA Showplace Award, and the award
for Outstanding achievement. The company sponsors many community organizations.
Southern
Tier Stone Products won the 2003 New York State Mined Land Reclamation
Award for reclamation of a mine. The site had been orphaned, and there was
no viable operator to complete reclamation.
Southern Tier took over the mine in 1996 and subsequently developed a
plan to restore the site.
South
Weber Facility operated by Staker &
Parson Companies in Utah was awarded the National
Stone Sand and Gravel Association’s 2004 Silver Environmental Eagle
Award.
Versailles
Quarry. The crew strive to be good stewards of the
environment as they carry out day-to-day operations at the plant.
Vulcan Morongo
Project reclamation focused on environmental and tribal concerns,
using the best available revegetation techniques for native habitat
restoration, and returning the land to a productive and viable secondary
use.
Vulcan
River Rock received
national recognition for their outstanding contributions to wildlife habitat
conservation at the Wildlife Habitat Council’s 14th Annual Symposium,
“Investing in Biodiversity.” They also received the
Environmental Eagle Gold Award from the
National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association
Watson Gravel, Inc. - Reclamation of the sand and gravel
pits produced 62 acres of productive farmland that was previously unusable.
Wrentham
Quarry. The environment plays a large role in Aggregate Industries’ US
operations and recently it has been given an even higher priority.
York Building Products, Perryville Plant. - This Maryland mine
has seen mining activity since 1725 and is an important historic ironmaking site. The
recently mined area plus two acres of abandoned mines were successfully reclaimed.
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Continental Brick Company. A popular
misconception is that the quarrying process destroys the land use after mining. The
Continental Brick operations are proof that the land can be put to a productive use after
mining has ceased and reclamation has been completed.
The Colorado Mined Land
Reclamation Board has presented the 2005 Special Recognition for
Preservation of Historical
Mining Resources to the Leadville Mineral Belt
Trail.
Pioneer Mid-Atlantic, Inc.
operates a
crushed stone quarry with utmost attention to safety, appearance, and stability.
Rio Tinto Borax operates California’s largest open pit mine in
Boron, California – one of the richest borate deposits on the planet. Borax’s objective is to maximize efficient utilization of
resources while minimizing environmental impacts of its operation.
The Ted McGee Mica Mine
owned by Zemex Industrial Minerals Corporation, is located in Micaville, North Carolina. Active excavation of mica at the mine ceased in
mid-2000
Carved out of an old clay quarry,
