mary whipple’s day ends with throwing away bags of dust collected from her home in waltham township in lasalle county, illinois. “all that dust that i vacuum up in my bedroom every day,” she said. “you would not believe what i vacuum up from my carpet.”

since 2013, mary and her husband monty whipple have fought for their community as plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuit to stop a proposed sand mine that would be built close to their farm just north of interstate 80 near the village of north utica. the case is now back in the trial court, where defendants will be required to answer the complaint, and “discovery” will begin. the case will go forward in the circuit court in bureau county, illinois.

mary whipple, now 66, was born in lasalle and lived in lasalle county her whole life. her parents, richard and irene dittmar, also lived there all their lives, and monty’s family resided on their nearby farm for generations as well. they’re fighting for their community and their legacy.

the story began when the north utica village board gave a permit to aramoni llc, a division of the investment firm woodland path in oak brook allowing a sand mine to take over property previously intended for commercial development. the land is very close to the homes of people living in waltham township, which immediately borders north utica. nobody expected a sand mine and waltham residents will be directly affected by the sand mine activities.

“living where we have been for many years, we’re very aware of what mining does,” mary said. “stripping riches off of the soil and the possible contaminations, truck traffic and hazards that go with mining? there’s a place for everything, and this isn’t the place to have it. that land is a god-given gift. you’re never going to be able to replace it.”

the lawsuit focuses on the prospective nuisance that will negatively affect the well-being and daily lives of the families — mostly farmers — living close to the site. even though lasalle county has many sand mines, none have been directly built on vast acres of prime farmland. the land had been sold, however, for commercial development.

understanding sand mining for fracking

fracking (known as hydraulic fracturing) is an oil and gas extraction technique that involves breaking up rock underground to release oil and natural gas deposits by pumping liquids into wells at high pressures. the chemicals used in the process and the risk of groundwater contamination are major concerns raised by fracking, according to ted auch at the fractracker alliance, an organization that makes energy-related data, especially on oil and gas issues, more accessible and actionable for the public. auch is the great lakes program coordinator of the fractracker alliance and teaches geochemistry and soil science at cleveland state university, in cleveland. he focuses his work on environmental justice issues from watershed resilience to sand mining.

the fracking mixture to break the rock contains water and sand, as well as other chemicals. north utica’s sand, with its consistent, even texture, meets the requirements to hold open rock fissures. with sand propping these human-made cracks open, the chemicals help oil or gas rise to the surface.

fracking isn’t new, but it’s growing. the u.s. energy information administration reports that, as of 2015, fracking produced two-thirds of natural gas in the u.s. although fracking may be talked about as a “not-my-problem, not-my-town” issue, active fracking exists in 34 states. given the quality of sand in lasalle county — already known as the “sand capital of the world” by the illinois geographic alliance – increased fracking means the targets on the back of rural citizens grow ever larger.

“i was struck by the scale, the size of the mines. the mines in lasalle county are so much bigger than the mines i’ve seen in other states,” auch said.

effects of sand mining

why are people such as the whipples fighting to keep sand mines away from their homes? because frack sand mining comes with serious potential consequences, as auch shows in his research.

“in lasalle county, illinois, they used to be able to see the stars,” he said. “and now, if you’re too close to these mines or floodlights, you can’t see the stars.”

silica sand, a carcinogen that easily floats from mines to neighboring land, is linked to a higher risk of lung cancer, according to an infographic by the fractracker alliance, citing mayo clinic doctors. already 30 to 50 times smaller than beach sand, silica dust can easily travel a half mile by air, and has been known to damage windshields as if the dust were sand paper.

the fractracker alliance links a higher risk of a host of other diseases to silica as well, from tuberculosis to lupus. rick coleman, another plaintiff who lives close to the prospective mine, has a 26-year-old daughter with a heart condition. the coleman’s family physician put it plainly: the day that sand mine opens, they can no longer live in their house, he said.

high volumes of water consumption and contamination threaten communities as well. a nearby mine’s permit in north utica township allowed use of 1.25 million gallons of water per day, and a further study of the water table shows that another mine may strain local water sources.

carcinogens and neurotoxins are part of the chemical cocktail pumped into the ground in the fracking process. damascus citizens for sustainability, based in new york, reports on the organization’s website that chemicals such as polyacrylamide, a flocculant used to clean sand, could break down to its more toxic form, acrylamide. “they definitely have some pretty nasty properties to them – cancer-causing properties,” said auch. according to the fractracker alliance, other chemicals such as arsenic and naphthalene (think mothballs) are already water-contamination culprits at other sand mining sites in the nation. not only the quantity, but also the quality, of the farmers’ wells are at risk.

those living near sand mines risk potential damage and loss of property value for their homes as well. “time and again you hear from neighbors who have seen cracks develop in their ceilings, in load-bearing walls, in their foundations,” said auch, who documented a case in detroit of a man living right next to a sand mine. “his house is basically uninsurable.”

current legal state

“they keep saying that sand mining is an industry,” mary whipple said. “agriculture is our industry. we create jobs. illinois’ top sources of income? agriculture and tourism.” the whipples and the other 11 plaintiffs make it clear that the mining industry has long established its presence. but the proposed sand mine in the current lawsuit will encroach on high-quality farmland and the 2.5 million people who visit starved rock state park each year.

the plaintiffs found hope when attorney and professor nancy loeb with the northwestern university pritzker school of law’s environmental advocacy clinic agreed to take on the case to challenge the planned mine. although their complaint was initially dismissed, an appeals court overturned that decision in march 2017 and the case will now go forward.

the legal controversy focuses on land rights. the north utica village board authorized the permit for aramoni llc to mine the land. the swath of land between the towns of lasalle and north utica was “unincorporated,” which means the land was not a part of either jurisdiction. however, north utica annexed the mine site, striking a deal to allow the mine to function while preventing mining trucks from entering downtown north utica and forcing the truck traffic onto the rural farming area north of interstate 80, according to court documents.

attorneys representing aramoni llc and north utica declined to comment because of the ongoing lawsuit. at the hearing to dismiss the plaintiffs’ complaint on july 9, 2015, ronald cope, representing aramoni llc, argued that the laws do, in fact, allow the company to have a mine on the proposed site.

as cited in the transcript of proceedings of the hearing, cope said, “so [the plaintiffs] have a burden of showing there is something unique about their area that is different than all the rest of the a-1 agricultural district, and there is something perhaps unique about this sand mine in its relationship to this unique area, whatever it is. and it’s not enough to allege that you live there or that you personally are going to be affected, because that’s true of every place.”

at the hearing, cope was dismissive of the prospective nuisance presented by the plaintiffs, saying that chemicals, truck traffic and other factors in question all apply to any sand mine. he said, “there might be — there may be a discharge of harmful chemicals. well, they use chemicals to some degree in the mining process, but that’s true of every mine. so what? someone is going to testify in court that the mines use chemicals? and then what? no more mines?” the court of appeals rejected that argument and stated that the mining operations can amount to a nuisance, and plaintiffs are entitled to prove their claims.

nancy loeb, who represented the plaintiffs at the hearing, continues to fight for the residents of waltham township, to prevent the prospective nuisance such as blasting noises, bright lights and harmful chemicals that will negatively affect the residents living in close proximity to the mine.

“the way the contract works, the effects [of the mine] are pushed off to people who can’t vote in [north] utica,” loeb said. “no activities in this agreement will be considered nuisance [under the mining permit granted by north utica]. blasting noise, trucks and bright lights can go on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they wouldn’t be considered nuisance.”

a lack of data also makes sand mining difficult to fight. without data on mining sites before operations begin, residents of rural areas like lasalle county have trouble proving the full impact of mining, from water use to waste disposal. the proprietary nature of mining means that companies aren’t willing to share data either. in an ohio mining operation, when auch and his team crunched the numbers, 25 percent of the water used couldn’t be accounted for. “how much [water] do they really need to process [the sand]? we’ve had a hard time figuring it out,” auch said.

but plaintiffs such as mary whipple will continue to stand up for their town because they believe it’s the right thing to do. “this is an illinois problem,” she said. “it’s everybody’s problem.”

looking forward

while it’s easy to live far away and brush this off, more people should understand what’s happening with sand mines, not only in rural illinois but also in other parts of the midwest, mary whipple said. citizens living farther from mines can make a difference too.

“if someone has a 401(k) or if they’re a member of an institutional union…make sure your investments align with your beliefs,” auch said. “money talks. and these companies are listening more and more to their investors.”

the farmers of waltham township will continue the fight to protect their community and hopes to succeed not only for themselves, but also for future generations, mary whipple said.

“this is our heritage,” she said. “i want to know that my grandson can have this one day.”

— video by emily priborkin and samantha sorbaro

fracking is part of a contentious debate across the u.s. but just how did we get to this modern day gold rush? how did we get to 82,000?

the fracking boom took off once scientists figured out how to tap shale rock. shale gas now accounts for 40 percent of all natural gas in the u.s, bringing in big money, revitalizing rural areas across the country and creating over a million jobs and counting.

this map from the us energy information administration shows possible fracking sites across the country. click for a larger version.

while fracking was present in some areas of the country before last decade, shale rock discoveries in places like pennsylvania set off the natural gas craze. but it had consequences.

in 2011, a pennsylvania fracking site blew up, sending 30,000 gallons of contaminated fluid into rivers that lead into the chesapeake bay and give water to 6 million people. the state of maryland is now sueing chesapeake energy.

fracking’s opportunities and dangers were brought on by decades of relaxed regulations for oil and gas companies, which were exempted from the safe drinking water act and clean air act.

thus, here lies the conundrum: fracking is getting people jobs and supplying us with energy. but activists call it pandora’s box because there are question marks about just how safe it is for our water, land and air.

but keep waiting for 2014. that’s when the environmental protection agency will release the first comprehensive study on the impact of fracking, and we can find out whether the 82,000 wells are helping or hurting us.

do you think fracking is worth it? would you be okay with it in your backyard? sound off in the comments while we wait for the epa’s report.

cory weinberg is a senior majoring in economics at the george washington university. chloe sorvino is a senior majoring in journalism and mass communication at the george washington university.

many experts say fracking is dangerous and can lead to poisonous and radioactive material entering groundwater, but that many of the concerns with fracking can be allayed if it’s done right. but, what exactly is the “right” way? wireless automation group (wag) of broken arrow, oklahoma has an answer, at least when it comes to the production and completion phase of fracking, where the real danger to communities and environment lies.

much of the threat to our soil and water comes after water has been collected and must be transported. with multiple holes created in rock layers, and so much water to collect from different outlets, it is easy for this runoff to go back into the ground. any potential spillage from water in the tanks, or while it is being transported or pumped, can have disastrous effects on local ecosystems and even, allegedly, drinking water, which has created much of the environmentalist opposition to fracking. wag’s automation technology corrects the potential for these on-site and transportation errors that can create environmental danger.

it’s not just in stabilizing and safeguarding the production and completion of fracking where wag is making a difference. wag president mark patton maintains that while the united states has the potential to surpass saudi arabia in barrels of oil produced, outdated and expensive monitoring systems in the u.s. not only create greater potential for fracking-related mishaps and other environmental dangers, but also hamper remote oil and gas operations. the disadvantage the u.s. faces is not with its oil supply, but how we are going about extracting that supply. all too often, critical information is received too late to prevent costly disruptions, accidents, and environmental spills.

“through remote, automated monitoring of all phases of median and marginal oil and gas production, we can simultaneously boost production and reduce risks,” patton maintains. “labor costs are minimized, while pumpjack failures and other incidents are immediately addressed.”

rapid transmission of data is especially critical in limiting environmental impacts, which can easily prove a thousand times more costly than the production interruptions themselves. in the wake of something like a pumpjack failure or blowout, even mere minutes can mean untold costs in labor safety, environmental safety and production.

“environmental issues have assumed top priority in the minds of government agencies,” patton adds. “near real-time monitoring of flow allocation, well performance, and detection of potential environmental threats is no longer an option – it has become a crucial component of competitive survival.”

wag seeks to change the face of oil and gas production through automated, remote monitoring of all phases of the processes, as illustrated in the diagram below:

wag is moving oil production to an almost completely remote process, not only moving the human element out of danger, but adding greater efficiency and safety to u.s. oil production as well. real-time operational status can be viewed on a mobile device via an internet connection. oil production monitoring can include the amount of oil taken, the start/stop of the salt water injector pump, the high/low level of the saltwater tank, and high and low pressure of the salt water line from the injector pump.

this cloud-based, near real-time monitoring allows operators to manage their remote operations efficiently, to increase production while reducing risks. for example, operators can manage the variable speed drives that reduce the demand charge when the pumps start up, thereby reducing energy costs. the operator has the ability to start and stop all operations at each site in near real-time, from a safe, remote location.

operators can detect a problem within minutes, and implement an action plan to fix it before it has a major effect on production, and possibly impact the environment. for example, pumpjack failures can usually be fixed immediately. operators can send notices of operational alarms to cell phones, as well as video monitoring and motion sensor alerts. depending on the seriousness of the event, field teams can communicate with management for advice, support, or approval. operations that are more extensive can include a central monitoring station.

all wag wireless platforms provide both production and security management. they can support traditional scada (supervisory control and data acquisition) implementations, as well as voice, data and video applications. they can keep a log of system status for epa (u.s. environmental protection agency) reports and oil company settlements.

in short, wag’s near real-time wireless delivery is key to assisting operators make timely decisions that, before now, had been severely limited by dated and irrelevant information. wag solutions result in greater safety and security by not only optimizing production, but also by enabling the early prevention of expensive, lengthy and potentially risky repairs. thus, timely delivery of accurate information on all phases of production systems results in higher profits optimal production and minimal incidents.

wag service offerings include design engineering, construction, installation and maintenance, database records and storage, and instrumentation and electrical solutions. they also provide systems integration of plcs, scada, wireless networking, and custom control panel fabrication. clients include municipal, public works, private, and industrial applications.
for more information, please go to http://www.wireless-automation-group.com

the company’s systems use patented technology that combines catalyst plates, pulsed electricity and uv light to destroy a wide variety of bacteria and polymers in water. it delivers excellent, environmentally friendly remediation results at competitive prices.

aquamost bacterial treatment:

for all phases of hydraulic fracturing.

highly effective bacteria elimination. kills 99.9% of all bacteria present in injection fluid makeup, flowback or produced water.

dramatically low operator costs for killing bacteria – as low as 10 cents per barrel.

high flow rates. scalable to cost effectively meet any size needs with these highly effective kill rates.

uses no chemical feedstocks or biocides to achieve 99.9% kill rates.

easy, modular installation. this advanced technology system is available as a standalone unit or in a mobile container depending on operator requirements. it can be plumbed as a component in a treatment train or as a standalone bacteria remediation solution.

aquamost polymer remediation:

reduces polymers in eor produced water.

reduces viscosity in post eor water to less than 2 cp. the aquamost system has proven highly effective at breaking down polymers from as high as 20 cp to less than 2 cp at full production speeds.

dramatically low operator costs for polymer remediation – less than 10 cents per barrel. half the costs of other methods.

high flow rates. aquamost i/o flow rates in a single trailer are 10bpm (13.7 kbpd).

easy, modular installation. this advanced technology system is available as a standalone unit or in a mobile container depending on operator requirements. it can be plumbed as a component in a treatment train or as a standalone polymer remediation solution.