Winona, Minn., terminal operator allowed to increase the number of barges it can load with fracking sand.
The Winona, Minn., City Council has approved a decision made by the Winona Board of Adjustment that allows CD Corp., a Winona-based terminal operator, to double the number of barges of fracking sand it can load and ship to the Texas area.
Dan Nesbitt, president of CD Corp., says the company can currently load 24 barges of the silicon sand per month. However, under the conditional use permit the company will now be able to ship 48 barges of the sand to sites in the Texas area.
Nesbitt says that the strong demand for the product, used in the “fracking” process in Texas, has led to increased demand for the material. He also questions why a conditional use permit is required for a material such as sand, while a similar permit is not needed for other aggregates the company ships.
According to a local press report, late last year the Winona Board of Adjustments approved the request, while also reducing the moisture level of the stockpiled sand at the port from 4 percent to 1.5 percent.
In addition to barging the sand, CD Corp. also loads and unloads aggregates, salt, coal and other bulk commodities.