The draft ordinance created as a template for villages, townships and cities within Crawford County seeking to regulate silica sand mining operations has been sent out, according to Dave Troester, the County Conservationist.

“We will meet with representatives from the towns and villages next Monday,” Troester said.  “They have until Friday, Oct. 19 to enact the ordinance or to come up with their own plan.”

The draft is the county government’s attempt to help towns and villages respond to the impact of frac sand mining in Wisconsin. The board passed a six-month moratorium last April to allow the county time to look at creating a countywide sand mining ordinance. That moratorium ends Oct. 19.

The study group formed by the county determined that the county lacked the authority to implement an ordinance due to a lack of countywide zoning. They also determined that the courts had already established municipalities had the right to govern such activities.

County personnel will be made available to individual municipalities to aid in both the legislative and administrative tasks related to managing the impact of silica sand mining, according to Troester, the Crawford County Conservationist.