The Oklahoma Department of Mines has recommended approval of a controversial mining expansion over the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer, despite a moratorium on new mines in the area.
At issue was whether the state’s 2019 mining moratorium applied to the international mining company Covia’s application to build a new pit over four miles away from its existing 1,400-acre operation south of Ada.
Local residents said the distance between the two locations, which would be connected by water and slurry pipelines, meant the proposed site should be considered a new mine and not allowed under the state moratorium. Dozens protested Covia’s initial application and have concerns that other mines may try to expand this way despite the moratorium.
In the May recommendation, Travis Shore, chief of minerals operations for the Department of Mines, agreed with Covia executives that Covia is exempt from the moratorium because it has operated continuously for decades. Shore also wrote that even though Covia’s existing mine is exempt, the proposed 380-acre operation still fits within the limited expansions allowed. The department also said the moratorium was written by lawmakers to accommodate the fact that companies may have to move to new locations as materials are depleted, calling it one of the “operational realities of surface mining.”
Members of the public can still oppose the recommendation and ask for a formal hearing on the issue. At least one citizen advocacy group has requested a formal hearing. Covia also requested a formal hearing, aiming to challenge additional oversight measures the Department of Mines wants included on the company’s operation.
The 500-square-mile Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer is sensitive to water loss and contamination. The aquifer feeds Turner Falls and the Blue River, and it provides drinking water to thousands of people in the area. Some residents say the mining activity has caused groundwater levels to decline, meaning wells must be drilled deeper to get water.
During a public hearing in Ada earlier this year, a Tishomingo city official said the city had to look for additional water sources after its main source — Pennington Creek, which is fed by the Arbuckle Simpson — has continued to dry up. Jason Lawley, a Tishomingo resident, said he believes the mines will continue to grow and impact local water.
“They only care about the dollar signs,” Lawley said.
Covia’s attorney, Elizabeth Nichols, told the room that the company tries to be a “good neighbor,” following state rules and providing jobs. The current mine provides around 50 jobs, and the new operation would add an estimated four jobs in the area, she said.
Oklahoma lawmakers approved a moratorium on new mines above the aquifer in 2019 so the aquifer could be studied without additional operations impacting the water. The law does allow for some expansions of existing operations in limited circumstances, but says no new mining permits can be approved over the aquifer until state scientists can study the water source and create rules on how to keep it safe. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board previously said the studies would be completed in 2028.
The Department of Mines also acknowledged in its recommendation that the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer is vulnerable. The recommendation would require Covia to follow several oversight measures, like installing seven new monitoring wells, testing water quality, and mapping out the fault zone the mine will sit on. The Department of Mines would be able to review this company-collected data to determine if additional buffer zones are needed to protect the aquifer.
The Department of Mines declined to answer questions about the proposed mine, saying it expects the issue to end up in litigation. Covia said in a statement to The Frontier that it will continue to operate responsibly and be “good stewards of the land under our care.”
Amy Ford, president of the group Citizens for the Protection of the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer, said her group is glad the Department of Mines has recognized the kinds of water issues that exist when mines are present by recommending new monitoring requirements.
But by agreeing with Covia that a new mine can be connected to an existing one by pipelines, “it’s open season on where mining operations” could be located, she said.
Covia executives first asked the state for an expansion last summer. Covia spent the last year working with the Oklahoma Department of Mines on its application to expand.
State officials declined Covia’s initial application, saying the mine was too far away from the original operation to be considered an expansion. But the company argued that the additional 380 acres was not a new mine because the facilities would be linked by over four miles of three water and slurry pipelines. Covia also argued that the company was exempt from the moratorium because its mine had been operating prior to 2019.
Covia told state officials in a June 2025 letter that the company’s existing mine would exhaust sand reserves and have to close in “the near future,” unless the expansion was approved. The sand produced by the mine is used to manufacture glass and roofing products, the company told The Frontier.
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Kayla joined The Frontier in 2021. She covers social services, energy and the environment. She can be reached at Kayla@readfrontier.com
