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Prairie County to respond after BLM says unauthorized scoria removal may have occurred at Hawkins pit
Summary
Commissioners reviewed two certified letters from the Bureau of Land Management about potential unauthorized removal of scoria at the Hawkins gravel pit and asked staff to gather records and prepare a formal response; BLM’s letter noted limited remaining material and recommended permits for future extraction.
County staff and commissioners reviewed two certified letters from the Bureau of Land Management notifying the county of possible unauthorized removal of scoria from the Hawkins gravel pit.
The clerk noted the letters indicate removal "without authorization" and observed BLM's assessment that there does not appear to be enough material to keep the pit open for future use. "If you want to extract material from this pit in the future, please contact us for a permit," one letter said, according to the clerk's reading of the certified mail.
Commissioners discussed the county’s historical use of the pit and whether the county has documented authorization for past extraction. The clerk and a commissioner said there was no documented usage in county records and requested staff to retrieve the certified letters so that the county could draft a formal, recorded response and attach a legal description if necessary.
The board directed staff to collect the letters, review any historical records about pit use (dating back to 1997 for prior operations mentioned in discussion), and prepare a response for the next business meeting; they also discussed sending a certified reply. No enforcement action or new permit was issued at the meeting.
The county recorded an instruction to the clerk to prepare a letter to BLM and to keep the correspondence in the county’s gravel-pit records.
