Sand and Gravel � Don't Take Them for Granted

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Sand and Gravel � Don't Take Them for Granted

Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1977, Vol. 47, Issue 3, Pg. 55-57

Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

One assumes the supply of sand and gravel is inexhaustible. In fact, at certain times and places it is not. At least not at today's relatively low prices. This is particularly true on New York's Long Island and in the Los Angeles area. Long Island may control exports of aggregates from the Island. Los Angeles' suburban San Fernando Valley faced the same problem�� until in 1975 California passed a law mandating that supplies not be blocked from exploitation, but that after the mineral is removed, if the site is in a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, the land must be reclaimed. Case histories from Anaheim, Calif. and Dayton, Ohio, of re-use of abandoned gravel pits show how to turn an eyesore and dangerous neighbor into a community asset. Another possibility is dredging sand and gravel offshore; Britain gets much of her aggregates from this source. Here's how the U.S. can gear up to do likewise.

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