Mississippi River mining plan dredges up concerns about damage to natural areas

The Mississippi River snakes below the bluffs at Spring Lake Park Reserve near Hastings, where people stroll or ski along the trails to take in the view of the majestic river.

But some local officials and river lovers are raising alarms about the prospect of that scenic vista changing. A proposal for a new phase of gravel mining at Grey Cloud Island could come with mining equipment — some of it 65 feet tall — within the river itself.

Dakota County Planning Manager Kurt Chatfield said visitors would see and hear Amrize Midwest Inc.’s Nelson Mine all the time.

The mining company says it would comply with any reviews and regulations, but others worry the operation would mar the natural area and its recreational uses for decades.

“The mine will impact literally millions of future park visitors,” Chatfield said. “It will impact a whole generation.”

The Dakota County Board and the Metropolitan Council are asking the company and the city of Cottage Grove, where the mine is located, for more information about the environmental impact of the changes to the mine, particularly on local parks.

The mine has operated on Grey Cloud Island since the 1950s, and the current quarries are expected to be depleted in five years. The new project would move the mine into the Mississippi River riverbed to extend its ability to harvest sand and gravel for the next two decades.

Cottage Grove approved the company’s environmental report on Nov. 5.

A Met Council spokesperson declined to comment about the appeal. The council plans to have a regional park on Grey Cloud Island by 2050.

Before Cottage Grove approved Amrize Midwest’s environmental report, multiple groups, including the Prairie Island Tribal Council, and residents voiced concerns about the mine and how the Nelson Mine Backwaters Project could affect the Mississippi River and the surrounding area’s future.

Colleen O’Connor Toberman, land use and planning program director for the nonprofit Friends of the Mississippi River, said the city was not “providing adequate oversight” to the decision.

“Minnesotans are at risk of losing a part of the river that they love so that a private company can extract more profits from its site,” she said.

“Amrize has been working collaboratively with the community for more than five decades and we will continue to do so,” he said.

When Cottage Grove approved the final environmental impact statement, Mayor Myron Bailey said the city took its role in the process “very seriously.”

“The city’s narrow role here is to gather the potential impacts of this proposed project to inform permitting decisions made by other agencies,” he said at the meeting.

The city did not respond to requests for updated comments on the appeal.

If the project moves forward, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said in a comment letter that it will need more information before approving permits for the mine.

“This area of the river is popular for boating and fishing recreation,” Doneen said. “During project operations, the public will not have this same level of access to the area.”

No permit applications for the Nelson Mine have been submitted to the DNR. Gallardo said Amrize welcomes the department’s thorough review as it is an “important part of responsible mining operations.”

Endangered species are another concern. A spokesperson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services said in an email that the Higgin’s eye mussel lives in the area where the mine is proposed.

“Sand and gravel mining would impact the population,” the spokesperson said.

O’Connor Toberman of the Friends of the Mississippi River said there could be more hiccups after the courts review. She said she’s never seen a project quite like this one.