After a past sand mining project near the Llano River was scrapped, one local company has started the process again in a different place on the river.

Collier Materials, Inc., which has locations in Marble Falls and Llano, has entered into agreements with landowners to establish a new sand mining operation, according to one local official who spoke with the vice president of the company, Kevin Collier.

“Collier has been seeking alternate options and is planning to establish a sand plant about one mile west of the 2900 bridge on the Llano River at the Moss/Miles ranch,” said Peter Jones, Llano County Commissioner for precinct one, in an email to The Llano News on June 26.

The company plans to begin its operations next spring, after acquiring the necessary permits from a host of agencies and the county.

A similar project was planned in 2018, in another location near the Llano River, but some residents expressed concerns about the environment and traffic. Other residents seemed to welcome the idea because of sediment build-up in Lake LBJ.

Jones said that the sand-mining operation will be technologically advanced and that the company “has attempted to address many of the concerns expressed with the Sandy Creek project.”

Collier’s plan is to use two barges to dredge sand from the Llano River and pump the sand to land, where it will be processed.

“It is expected that, when in full operation, this plant may produce up to 4,000 tons of sand per day that would require about 120 trucks per day to transport,” Jones said. The plan is for the sand to be trucked from the ranch onto County Road 309 and then to Highway 71.

“To offset the cost to improve and maintain CR 309, Collier will provide financial support to the county,” Jones said.

The Llano News will continue to follow this story as the permitting process progresses.