Frac sand mining discussion held in Eau Claire - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

Eau Claire (WQOW) - One of the hottest topics in western Wisconsin was the focus of an event in Eau Claire on Monday.

A panel on frac sand mining was held at the Florian Gardens.  Lawmakers, attorneys, the DOT, DNR and mining companies were all represented.  One of the topics discussed was the impact the industry is having on roads.  "From a state highway perspective, we do not have a lot of concerns at this point in time in handling the frac sand mining industry.  Most of these truck hauls are very short hauls.  The mines are in close proximity to processing, and the processing plants are located at the rail head.  That eliminates one whole trip," said WisDOT Regional Systems Planning Chief Tom Beekman.

Other topics discussed included the potential health effects from sand mining compared to common practices such as farming and tilling the land.