The group discussed aggregate recycling and land use planning efforts. Aggregate materials, mined at Grey Cloud Island, are unloaded at the Upper Harbor in Minneapolis. At the Mississippi River Upper Harbor in Minneapolis, federal, and industry representatives discussed aggregate transportation and concrete plant operations. Paul International Airport was also featured in a brief visit. The airport is a major consumer of recycled materials, crushed rock, and sand and gravel.
Aggregate transportation is discussed during a working lunch.
Next came a visit to the Nelson Mine , a major regional aggregate reserve on Grey Cloud Island in Washington County. Here the group toured a dredge mining and processing facility. Industry and government hosts briefed the group on local reclamation activities and sand and gravel transportation. The July tour highlighted four regions of greater Minnesota where significant aggregate-related activities are occurring. In St. Cloud the group learned about local production of high quality granite aggregate for such uses as surfacing runways at the Minneapolis-St.