Lawrence-Douglas County planning commissioners are recommending that a proposed Kansas River sand pit operation just north of Eudora be denied by Douglas County commissioners.

Planning commissioners on Monday voted 7-1 to recommend denial of a conditional use permit by Kaw Valley Companies to convert approximately 196 acres at 2102 N. 1500 road into a major sand plant.

The city of Eudora’s planning commission had voted unanimously at its last meeting to deny the application. That motion to deny will stand.

City of Eudora officials had urged that the plant be rejected because the city’s long-range plans call for the area along the river to remain agricultural in nature rather than industrial. The city also said there were too many unanswered questions about how the sand plant operations would impact the city’s field of water wells, which is just south of the site.

Representatives with Kansas City, Kan.-based Kaw Valley Companies, however, previously said their studies showed that the sand plant operations posed no threat to the city’s water supply. They also argued that sand is an important natural resource and that there were very few sites in the Kansas City area where sand could feasibly be mined.

Kaw Valley’s proposal does not call for in-river dredging of sand in the Kaw. Instead, the operation would create pits near the river’s edge where sand can be removed. Once the sand plant operations are no longer in existence, the pits would be converted into small lakes or large ponds.

Douglas County Commissioners will make the final decision on the sand plant operation. Commissioners are likely to hear the proposal next month.