The county has 13 permitted gravel pits, and it takes the responsibility of overseeing them seriously. Each year, the Cook County Planning Commission reviews the assessments performed by the Office of Planning and Zoning and makes recommendations to the Cook County Board of Commissioners regarding renewal of the permits. On January 11, 2011, the county board passed nine of the pits but put off approving the other four so a little tweaking could be done on the conditions for renewal.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Bill Lane pointed out to the board that conditions at each of the pits change from year to year – some vegetation has been removed if a pit has been mined, some has grown back, and some has been replanted.
This year, Lane recommended expanding the Stan Bautch gravel mine permit from five acres to 10 if more topsoil is added to portions that are being restored. The area is so rocky that Lane believes current seeding attempts may not be entirely successful. Stan Bautch Jr. was on hand to talk about the property. “We are definitely willing to spread the topsoil that is there [and] seed it,” he said.
Administrator Lane reported that the John S. Mathisen Cliff Creek pit has slopes that are steep and causing erosion. “The process will continue unless there’s some intervention,” he said. The Planning Commission recommended adding slope repair and vegetation restoration to the conditions of the permit.
“This is a fluid process,” Lane said. “We’re not looking at this rigidly. …We recognize that there are limitations.” The department gives people time to address problems. If restoration isn’t addressed, however, problems become difficult to fix, he said, describing the effect as “the Humpty Dumpty syndrome.”
The Dean Berglund permit has included gravel crushing and wood chipping provisions, but they were limited to two years from the date they were approved. The Planning Commission’s recommendation to commissioners states, “Because these activities have not occurred in recent years, these conditions should be removed from the permit. Should Mr. Berglund wish to reactivate those operations, he may do so before the Planning Commission.”
The Rick and Randi Nelson pit is close to Thompson Creek, a DNR-designated trout stream, Lane said. A beaver dam caused the creek to expand to a width of 60 feet. “Open water has replaced a significant portion of former wet meadow areas,” the Planning Commission report states. “Removal of vegetation by the previous owners adjacent to Thompson Creek remains a concern and should be addressed upon the activation of mining activities on the site.”
County Attorney Tim Scannell suggested that he and Lane get together and draft the recommended conditions on these four pits and bring them back to the county board in a week. The board approved the other nine pits and agreed to consider these four at its next meeting on January 18.
Gravel pits are the only Cook County conditional use permits that require annual review.
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