November 27, 2024

By Lane Kimble

Quarry operators no longer need to submit metals sampling under a recent settlement WTBA and the Aggregate Producers of Wisconsin (APW) negotiated with the Wisconsin DNR.

Instead, a specific set of agreed-upon quarries will submit samples from wastewater discharges.

Quarries that are not participating in the study should not submit sampling data for metals to DNR.

The requirement to do so by January 21, 2025 was removed from the permit as part of the settlement.

When the department renewed the Nonmetallic Mining General Permit in 2022, it added a requirement to sample wastewater discharges for certain metals. WTBA and APW opposed the change and, as an alternative, proposed a study to evaluate the concentration of metals at a representative group of quarries.

Further details on the process and settlement are available in this document provided by APW’s legal team.

The Nonmetallic Mining General Permit expires every five years, meaning this updated version will need to be revisited before Dec. 31, 2027.

If you have questions, feel free to email WTBA General Counsel Jodi Jensen.