New life coming to a quarry near you.

• Position: On First Reading - Brief Article

Wisconsin sand, stone and gravel quarries are no longer the pits--thanks to legislation that provides a new lease on life to closing sites.

"A potential liability becomes an asset," says Philip Fauble, a hydrogeologist with the state Department of Natural Resources who says the sites can become housing or business developments or open space for wildlife and recreation.

Mining companies, counties and municipalities that operate quarries can continue to excavate minerals, but they no longer can walk away from environmental problems and safety hazards.

Hundreds of abandoned pits and quarries scar the Wisconsin countryside, and children are drawn to the danger in search of recreation. Drownings occur where water collects in the holes; and adventurers have been injured or killed from falls off high, sheer walls. Abandoned quarries also attract illegal dumping. Mines that reach below the water table allow chemicals to seep immediately into the groundwater and erosion sends sediment into streams and lakes.

Wisconsin requires counties to adopt uniform restoration standards for quarries. Counties collect a fee--$2S to $35 per acre--to offset administrative costs and prevent an...