Vulcan Proceeding With Planning for California Quarry
According to the Sierra Star, a Madera County, Calif., quarry proposed by Vulcan Materials Co. will, if approved, encompass 671 acres with 258 of it designated for a 400-ft.-deep quarry permitted for 100 years. It would be located near the southwest corner of Highways 41 and 145, about a mile west of Highway 41, and at the site’s farthest northern edge about 100 ft. from Highway 145.
Vulcan, through amended contracts approved by the Madera County Board of Supervisors, put $495,742 in county deposits for administration and associated work on the project, $333,724 to lead consultant Benchmark Resources of Folsom, and $160,000 to Sacramento law firm Abbott and Kinderman.
The money all goes to finalizing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), a key document which will be reviewed by the Madera County Planning Commission then sent to the Board of Supervisors with the commission’s recommendation on how to proceed. Final approval will be by the supervisors. Deputy planning director Matthew Treber said it’s difficult to estimate when the EIR will be completed.
Lafarge Seeks Special Use Permit; New Quarry
Lafarge North America is willing to post a bond to pay for immediate repairs if its blasting ruptures Lockport, N.Y.’s, water supply pipeline. Perry Galdenzi, Lafarge project manager, made the pledge as he appealed to the Common Council for a special use permit that would allow the company, which employs 39 people, to mine nine acres of land within city limits, according to the Buffalo News.
Galdenzi said the site contains 1.5 million tons of limestone, which is about the amount the company sells in a year. Lafarge produces most of the limestone aggregate used in paving projects in Niagara County, N.Y., according to the article. Asphalt is 95 percent limestone, Galdenzi said.
The company plans a major new quarry on the south side of Hinman Road in the Town of Lockport that will keep it operating for 40 to 50 years, Galdenzi said. But first the company has to go through a lengthy Department of Environmental Conservation permit process, and win approval from the Town of Lockport.
Maine Quarry Seeks to Move Forward
Harold MacQuinn Inc, which owns the Hall Quarry property in Mount Desert, Maine, and Freshwater Stone, which leases and operates the quarry, applied to the town for a quarrying license in 2014 after voters adopted an ordinance requiring quarries to be licensed. The Planning Board’s public hearing on the application has been going on, with several lengthy interruptions, for more than a year. A recent session was the first one to focus exclusively on the issue of noise, which is the principal objection of nearby residents, according to the Mount Desert Islander.
Planning Board Chairman Bill Hanley said that, at the end of the session, the board decided the applicant hadn’t provided enough data relative to the measuring of sound levels at the lot lines. So, they asked them to provide more information about that, based upon the equipment they’re using. No deadline was set for submitting that information, and the next session of the public hearing has not yet been scheduled.
South Carolina Quarry Fights to Keep Permits
An appeal hearing regarding the possibility of a quarry in the Middlesix area of Winnsboro, S.C., was held recently. The appellate committee of the South Carolina Mining Council heard testimony from concerned Middlesix residents regarding their issues with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) giving permits to Winnsboro Crushed Stone, LLC/ Winnsboro Quarry of Fairfield County to build a quarry.
Most witnesses told the petitioners’ attorney Kathleen McDaniel their main concerns were how the quarry would affect their water, air, health, wildlife and safety. DHEC’s attorney Etta R. Williams Linen repeatedly asked the witnesses if they had specific data or studies showing how dust, booms or other activity would directly impact them. Many of them could not cite specific information. Witnesses said they were refused specific information from DHEC. Winnsboro Crushed Stone LLC’s attorney Mary Shahid often pointed out the specific distance of how far the quarry would be from the witnesses’ properties and homes.
DHEC previously determined that the quarry, if operated in accordance with the submitted application, will meet all applicable requirements and emission standards.