Mines and Quarries - Adaptive Uses, Environmental Controls

Some people feel that they are a terrible land use and should be prohibited. Concerns about pollution, noise, dust, and trucks are a real consideration.

The aerial photo above is of Utica, Illinois just north of the Illinois River and the Starved Rock State Park. It is a lovely little community with great open space assets.

The aerial photo above shows both new and old quarries. There is a very large working quarry just north of the Illinois River and west of Illinois Route 178. People are nearly unaware of it as the drive past en route to the State Park. And it is an old quarry developed before the current requirements for wide landscaped berms between the quarry and surrounding land uses and roads.

Just north of the open quarry is an old quarry that has been abandoned and has filled up, forming a very nice lake. The lake is owned by a hunters group who feed wild birds. It is beautiful place with a fantastic concentration of birds. You can see it by walking down the Illinois and Michigan Canal towpath, which is now a hiking and biking trail.

To the top right of the aerial is another old quarry that has turned into a nice lake and open space. Mother nature does a good job of taking rough quarries and mines and bringing them back to nature.

This area along the Illinois is a major habitat for Bald Eagles. Just east of the aerial in the Illinois River is a great place to watch the Eagles.

We have greatly increased the environmental regulation on quarries and mines. Owners are required to restore the quarries to a quality use - usually a lake and open space.

The aerial below is the Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida. It is a unique 600-acre park which provides the public access to a 500-acre lake. The county purchased the site in the early 1990’s. Before that, the property had been an active shell excavation pit for road construction fill. It is used for recreation and international rowing competitions.

Quarries and mines do have significant environmental impacts. But we have developed regulations that mitigate environmental damage during the operation of the quarry and require extensive landscaping, dust control, and blasting control. And the quarries and mines must now be turned back into a quality land use after the mining is over. The finished use is usually a lake with open space or residential adjacent to the lake.

No one wants an operating quarry or mine near their home. There will of course be many trucks. But from a viewpoint of the good for all, a location close to the urban area is best. The stone and gravel is used for construction of homes and streets. A close location minimizes truck miles driven, energy consumption and air pollution.

Does not make approval easy, however.

Nathan Benderson Park
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About Nathan Benderson Park

Nathan Benderson Park is located in Sarasota, Florida. It is slated to become North America’s premier 2,000-meter sprint course and regatta center by 2014. Over $40 million is committed to the facility’s future development, including 2,200 meter racing lanes and straight shorelines by 2013, coaching lanes, wave attenuation, a multi-function boathouse and athlete training center, starting huts and finish towers, grand stands and a state of the art boat maintenance and testing facility. Most of these facilities will be constructed on a first of its kind “regatta island” – an Olympic Village type setting which will provide competitors the support and focus which rowing demands, and spectators a viewing and entertainment platform unparalleled at sprint courses elsewhere in the world.

The Park will also be home to numerous other paddle sport competitions, from dragon boats to canoe and kayak races, as well as triathlon and cross country events. And to top it all off, the Park is located immediately adjacent to University Town Center – Southwest Florida’s premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination.

Park History

Nathan Benderson Park is a unique 600-acre park which provides the public access to a 500-acre lake. The county purchased the site in the early 1990’s. Before that, the property had been an active shell excavation pit for road construction fill. Cooper Creek enters the east side of the large lake and exits at the northwest corner.

Nathan Benderson park is situated west of Interstate 75 and east of The Meadows residential community. The future north Cattlemen Road extension will provide additional access to the park and its amenities. One of a handful of sites in North America identified as having all of the natural attributes that make up a premiere rowing facility, Nathan Benderson Park began hosting organized regatta competitions in 2009.

Two successful regattas were held in 2009, followed by four in 2010, seven in 2011, and seven in 2012! We are now looking forward to another successful up-coming regatta season in 2013!

Hurricane Coming

Bummer! Hurricane Irma is now projected to hit Fort Myers, Sarasota, and Tampa. It is a very major hurricane. We have done everything we can to get ready and now we must ride it out. No fun.

I was in a Typhoon in 1970 in Vietnam. Actually it was downgraded but we were on Hill 327, about 1,000 feet above sea level, and it ripped our base apart.

My hootch above after the big winds. From a letter I wrote home:

"A typhoon ripped apart our Hill in October 1970. Most of the buildings and much of our equipment was destroyed. We hid out in bunkers and metal vans during the typhoon. Most of the valley below was flooded. The NVA who had been able to hide in below ground tunnels had to come out to high ground and they were attacked by Korean Marines on the high ground."

We hid out in a radio van during the storm. Of course we were young and invulnerable, so we kept the door partially open looking at out as the storm increased. Then WHAM!!. the roof of the building blew off and away into the win. Pretty neat.

The winds destroyed every building. Of course they were simple sea huts, made out of plywood and 2 by 4s. Not for high winds.

We gave up on the Hill after that, and moved our unit down to flat ground below. But we kept security and our air control radios on the Hill. It was a long commute up the Hill every day so I just moved into a ruined hootch and lived there. Half of it was gone and it was laying on a steep angle, but it had a great view.

I will let you know how we do in the upcoming fun Hurricane.

My hootch - 1971. They just don't build hootches the way they used to:

Hurricane Advice

Run from Water, Hide From Wind

When in Danger
When in Doubt
Run in Circles
Scream and Shout

We wore our helmets and flack jackets in Vietnam for the big storm. We have helmets but no flack jackets for this one

We are ready, with our motorcycle helmets and air mattresses.

Nice Rainbow Yesterday in Sarasota, Florida

Flooding in Sarasota and Manatee Counties 26-27 August, 2017

The map above and below shows the

The aerial photo and map above illustrates the floodway and floodplain in and near the Carlyle Development in Palm Aire in Manatee County north of Whitfield and east of 45th Street East. The area drains to the north and east via Rattlesnake Slough located on the west and north edge of the development, draining east across Honore Avenue to Ward Lake. The violet shows the flood way along Rattlesnake Slough and the lighter colors depict the 100 year flood plain.

On August 26, 2017 Creekside Trail north and east of Whitfield was inundated with over two feet of water, destroying some cars and very nearly flooding many homes. This area is outside the 100 year flood plain, indicating that the flood exceeded the 100 year flood.

The drainage of the development depends on a clear Rattlesnake Slough providing an unimpeded drain. The Slough has not been cleaned for many years and is blocked by numerous fallen trees, slowing and blocking drainage. This impeded drainage would have increased flooding last week, and will likely lead to flooding in the future, especially if we are hit by a hurricane. The Slough must be cleared, hopefully before the next major rain.

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport set daily rainfall records BOTH Saturday and Sunday - with over a FOOT of rain in total! A Flood Watch will continue for Manatee and Sarasota counties until Monday evening. Rounds of heavy rainfall will continue across our area this evening and Monday before drier air filters in for the middle of the work week.

The disturbance that brought this very heavy rainfall to the Bay area this weekend will likely develop into Tropical Storm Irma off the coast of Georgia overnight. The storm will bring heavy rainfall and gusty winds to the Carolina coastline over the next couple of days.