Aggregate Resources ofthe Big Blue River Valley in East-Central Indiana

Abstract

Quarry and gravel-pit operators in search of new mining sites are faced with a dilemma. How may aggregate producers mine near a city, where most of the product is sold, and still cope with local taxes, environmental laws, and zoning regulations? There is great economic advantage, both to the producer and the consumer, in locating an aggregate plant near an urban center, because aggregate is a heavy, bulky product that is expensive to transport. Unfortunately, aggregate reserves are not always where they are needed. Producers are well aware that while commercial deposits of quarry rock and sand and gravel are common and widespread, they are by no means ubiquitous. Zoning boards have given this fact less than due consideration. Thus arises the dilemma. The most desirable sites, already limited by fixed geologic factors, are further restricted by regulation and competition with other land uses…