Work Begins at Gravel Mine Next to River in Scandia

Via Tiller Corporation:

Tiller Corporation expects to begin initial site work on the Zavoral mining and reclamation project during the first week of September. The full project will entail the mining of gravel and reclamation on 64 acres of the 114-acre site, located near the intersection of Minnesota highways 97 and 95.

Initial prep work that will begin in early September includes installation of best management practices to control and manage stormwater and ensure water quality in the area, initial vegetation transplanting and removal, and preliminary grading for the first phase of reclamation.

The project has undergone extensive environmental review and received approval and will be regulated by several local, state and federal agencies. The majority of the site has been previously mined and left un-reclaimed, which has led to much of the site being overrun with non-native, invasive species and irregular landforms.

Under the terms of the agreement that was given final approval by the City of Scandia earlier this year, Tiller will undertake a three-phase mining project for a total of 40 months, removing up to 1.2 million tons of gravel. The majority of the material will be transported to a nearby facility in Scandia for processing with some of the material going directly to local construction projects.

Tiller will conclude the project with significant reclamation of the site, including the establishment of dry prairie, mesic prairie and coniferous woodland communities which will provide important habitat for the area and a higher diversity of plant communities that does not exist at the site today.

Additional information and periodic updates will be made available over the course of the project. Minnesota-based Tiller Corporation is family-owned and operates approximately 25 mining and processing sites in the region, employing nearly 250 people.

Previous coverage:

• Tiller mine permitted by city council (2/22/13)
• Guest post: Scandia gravel mine approval was ill-advised (2/21/13)
• Good Neighbors: Scandia and the St. Croix (1/13/13)