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May 8, 2005
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| Water rushing down the Minnesota River valley through the years has exposed parts of the bedrock. This makes the rock easy to mine since companies don't have to remove layers of soil. (MPR Photo/Mark Steil) |
North Redwood, Minn. — When the Legislature declared parts of the Minnesota River wild and scenic in the 1970s, most mining activity near the water was banned. But there were exemptions, sand and gravel pits for one. Renville County Board Chair Paul Setzepfandt wants to change that, he thinks mining should include the hard rock deposits.
"I think it's got to be totally re-looked at and re-done, and re-done right," says Setzepfandt.
So far three counties have asked for a re-examination of the mining question; Renville, Redwood and Yellow Medicine. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials says under their interpretation of the wild and scenic rules, rock mining is banned.
Paul Setzepfandt says that hurts the counties and the state. He says Minnesota River valley rock could be put to good use, mainly in road construction. Setzepfandt is bothered by something else, too. Much of the wild and scenic land is privately owned. He says the rock mining ban unfairly restricts what landowners can do with their property.
"The only thing they get is, they get to pay the taxes on it and they get to pay their liability insurance on it," says Setzepfandt. "But they will not get any income off of it unless they can sell the rock."
There is at least one rock quarry operating now in the wild and scenic district and it's the catalyst for the current debate. Renville County and the state allowed Duininck Brothers to open the mining operation near Redwood Falls several years ago.
When the company asked to extend the permit, government regulators took a close look at the wild and scenic river restrictions. They reversed themselves and decided rock mining was not allowed, calling the original approval a mistake.
Duininck officials declined comment for this story.
The company can mine through the end of the year but then must close and landscape the quarry. Scott Sparlin says anymore rock mining will damage the Minnesota River valley.
"I think it's quite obvious that the hard rock outcroppings of the Minnesota River basin are some of the most treasured things that we have here and irreplaceable," says Sparlin.
Sparlin heads a group called Coalition for a Clean Minnesota River. He thinks he and others can prevent any change to the valley's mining regulations. He says public perception of the Minnesota River has changed.
"Since the 1970's, I think our attitude towards the entire Minnesota River basin has shifted," says Sparlin. "From one of, this is going to be the state's largest drainage ditch, to you know what, this is a very special area that is basically the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of southern Minnesota."
The key decision maker right now seems to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The DNR has been under pressure from all sides to settle the issue. The counties say the exemption to mine sand and gravel should be interpreted to include hard rock. DNR Waters Director Kent Lokkesmoe says that's significantly different from how his department sees it.
"Sand and gravel extraction to us means picking up existing sand and gravel and removing it," says Lokkesmoe. "It doesn't mean blasting and grinding in creation of sand and gravel."
The debate over the Minnesota River comes at a time when the state may be running low on construction rock. One industry official says within 20 years readily accessible supplies of the material in the Twin Cities area will be used up.
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