CALLAWAY COUNTY — A Callaway County limestone mine could soon have a little more room to dig, as Fischer Minerals looks to add 40 acres to its operation near Williamsburg, bringing its total permitted area to 120 acres.
The proposed expansion is located directly north of the company’s current property near County Road 1031 outside Williamsburg.
Brice Fischer, owner of Fischer Minerals LLC, said the expansion would provide additional limestone reserves for the future.
One use for the limestone is contract work and construction aggregates. Crushed limestone is extracted from the quarry.
“It’s expanding for the future for more limestone reserves. We’re mining one side now; it will be a while until we start mining the other side,” Fischer said.
The application was submitted to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Land Reclamation Program for review.
Bill Zeaman, chief of the department’s Industrial and Metallic Minerals Mining Unit, said the state is nearing a decision on the proposed expansion.
“Once the public notification process is complete, then we would be in a position to issue the permit to engage in surface mining,” Zeaman said.
Zeaman said he expects the permit could be issued within the next few weeks, provided the process moves forward as anticipated.
“There’s not a lot of hoops to jump through that I’m seeing. We are probably in a position here in the next few weeks to issue that mining permit,” Zeaman said.
People who support or oppose the proposed expansion and have a direct, personal interest can submit written comments to mining@dnr.mo.gov by Nov. 9 or call the Missouri Department of Natural Resources at 573-751-4041 with questions.
