A quarry operator is hearing from the public as it seeks permission to withdraw 12 million gallons of water a day from a coastal collection of underground fresh water, according to WCTI TV. The state Division of Water Resources held a public hearing on a water withdrawal permit Martin Marietta Materials needs to remove water from its quarry in Craven County, N.C.
The permit is needed for any operation in a 15-county area of the state’s coastal plain that wants to pull more than 100,000 gallons of water per day from the region’s aquifers. Martin Marietta is seeking to develop a 650-acre quarry operation.
Officials from the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation are worried about the effects the water being dumped into the river would have on the environment.