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The levee failure was discovered about 12:20 a.m. Thursday on the property on Hwy. P in western Jackson County, and left about a foot of water over 117 acres, said John Ross, emergency management director for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
Almost a dozen nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution, but authorities said the levee situation posed no immediate threat to the village of Taylor or city of Blair in neighboring Trempealeau County.
A portion of Hwy. W between Burma and Nerby roads remains closed, though residents there will be allowed to return home.
Officials also urged people to stay away from Hwy. W south of Nerby Road and along River Road just south of Hwy. 95.
The water was being pumped to another area at the mine, Ross said, but officials are unsure how long it will take to remove the water.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and emergency management teams for Jackson and Trempealeau counties were on site Thursday to look at why the 2-year-old levee failed.
“It’s too early to tell a cause,” said Dan Valiquette, vice president of Taylor operations at Badger Mining Corp.
The company’s Web site states the Taylor plant processes hydraulic fracturing and gravel packing sands for use in extracting oil and gas. It produces about 800,000 tons of industrial sand a year.
Megan VerHelst is a reporter for the Jackson County Chronicle in Black River Falls, Wis.
