Proposed Eureka Gravel Mine

[MOFishwater]

Ah, the oldest trick in the book. It's cold, global warming is a hoax. I'm out, go back to your Fox News. 

 

Thanks for bringing the Eureka stuff up, I'll start a diff thread if anything develops. 

[tjm]

So all listed "academics" that are resigning list appointment dates from the previous Administration, it would be unlikely that their  input would be sought out. It is a bit of a surprise they stayed on this long, but as unpaid cheerleaders/justifiers  for leaders no longer in place it is quite possible they  won't be missed. With about a billion Parks employees they should manage. 

The mine will no doubt be a disaster area to be fixed by Fed money sometime down the road and should be stopped. 

All mines every where should be stopped, we are still mining lead in Mo and selling it overseas, wreaking our environment for the profit of foreigners who sell us lead products at exorbitant prices. 

In protest I personally will buy no, zero, nada gravel in the upcoming year and if I can remember, no Winter Brothers products either.

[Hog Wally]

On 1/12/2018 at 10:56 AM, Gavin said:

Eureka Gravel Mine 

Saw this in the PD today. Winter Brothers wants permission to mine their 500+ Acres of bottom land in Eureka. I hope this does not get approved.

 

I've actually fished that area for 25 years.  The tree line along the river is already so small that I'm surprised it's still intact but there's basically a bluff type bank on other side that will never change. I'm not a fan of these giant gravel operations. There's one going on now downstream from me 10 miles that's overly concerning.  Al Agnew and I were fishing that stretch last year.  

[Al Agnew]

It's always a gamble whether or not the river will wash away the buffer zone between the excavations and the channel with every flood. If the buffer zone stays intact and the river doesn't decide to take over the excavation, the impacts to the actual river are fairly small.  But nevertheless there are possible bad things that can happen.  The river needs an intact connection to an intact flood plain to be at its healthiest.  I've seen these types of excavations where they built a dirt levee to keep the river out of the big hole they were digging, and that cuts off the river from its flood plain, not to mention totally messing up the floodplain itself. 

Most of the ones I'm familiar with, eventually they actually have a narrow channel connecting the river to the excavation.  If they are still working at that point, it means a lot of silt coming into the river, not to mention the motor oil and other chemicals incidental to mining.

But seems to me the biggest problem is the impact on people living in the area.  I don't blame everybody for being so against this when they'll have to put up with what is basically an industrial complex in their back yard and the tremendous impacts on infrastructure in the area.

I suppose this is better than simply digging in the river channel and widening it the way things used to be done.  Yes, it made for some nice wintering pools, but it wiped out a LOT of summertime habitat (gamefish don't like big, dead, deep pools in the summer...not enough food), and it had a tremendous impact on the river far upstream and downstream from the actual digging.  Upstream, headcutting often caused a lot of erosion of the banks, and downstream, there was a lot of siltation from the operations and a lot warmer water in the summer from those wide, dead pools exposed to the sun. 

[tjm]

Yes,  I think Al says it clearest. Greatest impact would be on the locals. Visual and audial pollution being possibly the greatest environmental damage. Road damage might affect us all through MODOT roads, but the county and city roads/streets will absorb the biggest hit. This road  subsidy will continue as long as the mine continues. Property values will also plummet in the area.

In the end this will be up to the Mo.DNR as mining police. and on the local politicians to enact and maintain zoning regulations. Some group could purchase that land at a price far beyond current value, maybe, then either donate it to the state as a CA or develop it into something more horrible than a strip pit.

I don't see, really, how outsiders can help much. I can see no way to blame this on either the current or past federal administration. Federal regulation (regardless of who/which party) will always allow mining if the set rules are complied with; the raw material is always needed, therefore in the best interests of "the people" , once taxation is met with.

Current news is result of Mo. Court of  Appeals decision that the county didn't follow state laws in the last denial of Winter's  request. Again a local issue. It does wave a "wake  up and be legal" flag to other county courts.

   

[Boobie]

The lakes inside there are LOADED with fish.

[Boobie]

Would'nt eat any...