Waukesha County has an abundant supply of sand, gravel, and stone. The soils around and in the Kettle Moraine are the most likely source areas for sand and gravel. In this area, the melting waters of the glacier were most active in sorting and depositing high-quality sand and gravel as kames, eskers, and outwash terraces.
Potential sand and gravel deposits comprise 210 square miles, or 38 percent of the total land area of the County. These areas are concentrated in the western half of the County along the Kettle Moraine and on outwash plains, although many other small deposits are scattered throughout the remainder of the County.
Soils with a depth to bedrock of three feet or less in Waukesha County indicate areas most suitable for quarrying stone. These soils cover approximately 8.3 square miles, or 1.5 percent of the total land area of the County. The largest areas are concentrated near the Villages of Lannon and Sussex, with smaller areas in other parts of the County.
On August 1, 2001, Waukesha County adopted a Nonmetallic Mining Reclamation Ordinance in accordance with Chapter NR 135, Wisconsin Administrative Code. The reclamation requirements are intended to rehabilitate nonmetallic mining sites, protect the environment and allow for other post-mining land uses. There are 17 nonmetallic mining operations under the County's nonmetallic mining reclamation ordinance. For those other areas around the County where the local municipality has adopted their own ordinance, quarry and gravel pit operators must have reclamation plans approved by the local regulatory authority.
