DEQ voids permit application for Helena Valley gravel pit and last updated 2021-07-21 19:58:20-04 HELENA â The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has voided a permit application for a proposed sand and gravel pit in the Helena Valley. DEQ made the announcement Wednesday. They said Valley Sand and Gravel, the developers of the proposed mine, had failed to address all the deficiencies they identified in the application. Kim Smith, the owner of Valley Sand and Gravel, requested a permit in 2019 to mine sand and gravel on a 61-acre site about two miles north of Helena. The roughly L-shaped property is north of Mill Road and west of McHugh Drive.