Frac sand development activity in and around the town of Rice Lake, Wis., continues unabated, according to Rice Lake Online.
Twenty phases of mining are mapped out. Most early phases are 12-20 acres while later phases are around 40 acres. Early phases are in field areas and later ones are in areas currently forested.
Chieftain Sand & Proppants plans to add nine new mining properties, mainly east of its existing mine in the Town of Sumner. Source Energy has revised its reclamation plan filed with Barron County to include the addition of approximately 400 acres beyond its existing 200-acre mine site. Chieftain is in the process of developing nine more mining areas in the towns of Sioux and Dovre near its existing mine and wet plant, according to a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources draft air permit.
Chieftain also plans to continue expanding the dry plant with a second dryer capable of processing 200 tph, a second dryer building, new rail load out area and three new storage silos, among other modifications.
Source Energy is somewhere around the fifth or sixth phase on a parcel that has an estimated 77 million cu. yd. of frac sand, or roughly 100 million tons.
Northern Rail & Transload started construction on a transload site north of the Chieftain and Great Northern sites. Affiliate company Northern Industrial Sand has secured more than 900 acres for mining in the Town of Sioux Creek.
Global Proppant Supply also plans to build a dry plant, making it the fourth sand plant in a 3-4 mile stretch. Operating as Sioux Creek Silica, the company has more than 1,000 acres secured for sand mining in the Town of Sioux Creek.