Public Meeting Scheduled on Proposed Frac Sand Plant - Monday Oct 5, Calico Rock

Friends of the Rivers and folks in the Izard County area,

Over the past few weeks it has become clear that a number of "frac" sand mining and sand processing operations have plans to develop in Izard County. The need for sand for gas drilling, especially in the Fayetteville shale, is driving this development. This particular company is planning a large open quarry mine and already has a stormwater permit for 240 acres in a 1000 acre area they own with a multimillion dollar plant proposed. Unimen, the sand plant that has been in Guion for years has filed for permits to expand. At least one other plant has filed for permits.

People involved with Friends of Mill and Piney Creeks (FMCPC)have been leading an effort, with our partnership to understand and grasp the significance of this development and how it will affect our watershed and the streams in their area which flow into the White River from Piney Creek. The City of Calico Rock is considering drilling 3 wells for this company.

The White River Current, the Calico Rock newspaper, is sponsoring this event and it was front page news.

I wanted to share this release from FMCPC and ask that you share with those you think would be interested. We will be updating our web site and blog on this as we're able to get a handle on more solid information. This meeting should be crucial in that regard.

Gene Dunaway
gene.dunaway@gmail.com
Board Member
Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers

Public Meeting Scheduled on Proposed Frac Sand Plant

Monday, October 5, 6:00pm

Calico Rock Music Hall, Calico Rock, Arkansas

Evergreen Processing will share information about the project and be available to answer questions, as well as respond to any concerns and comments from the community.

Please attend if you are interested in learning details about the project.

Some of the issues of concern are:

• The proposal to use 850,000 gallons of water per day (what will this do to wells in the area and to the aquifer?)
• Excess water from processing will be discharged into Bailey and Pearogue Creeks which feed into Mill and Piney Creeks and then into the White River. What impact will this have on these waterways?
• Noise and lights from a 20 hour per day operation
• Air quality issue (frac sand is silica sand and in Wisconsin there are major concerns about safety regarding mining of this sand)
• Impact on our roads – 40-60 trucks of sand per day will be shipped from the plant. Impact on traffic and wear-and-tear on the roads themselves

Quarry mines usually become big holes in the ground. Large scale quarry mining could change the entire character of our area. The Quorum Court should take action immediately to slow this process down until they can determine exactly what is going to happen and assure there is no risk to our water and property.