• West of Auburn and north of Ala. Hwy. 14. The Saugahatchee Creek would border the quarry to the north and west - with more than 2 miles of creek frontage.

  • 2 miles from Loachapoka, a site on the National Historic Register, and 3 miles from Notasulga.

  • 3 miles from Loachapoka High School to the east and Notasulga High School to the west (approximately 1,200 K-12 students on the road twice a day). Buses transport children to Auburn schools from Plantation Way and Willow Creek,

  • Within 5 miles of the following subdivisions: Saugahatchee Crossing, Woodland Park (in development), Plantation Way, and Willow Creek.

  • More than 24 families within 1 mile of blasting zone. There are 12 families and homes within a half mile of the blasting zone.

  • 1200 feet from the antebellum Sheldon Page home, circa 1840.

  • 5 churches within 3 miles of the blast zone, including Loachapoka Baptist established in 1840.

 

 

 

 

  • The impact of the proposed quarry on Saugahatchee Creek is unknown. State geologists and geologists with the U.S. Geological Survey agree that they cannot be sure where the fractures or fissures exist in the granite rock under west Lee County leased by Florida Rock.

  • Surface topography of the property is well known. Four hilltops of approximately 600 feet each already send surface runoff, or storm water, into the Saugahatchee below.

  • Erosion into the creek could begin occurring during the site preparation phase.

  • Several streams flow off the planned quarry site into the Saugahatchee that could be the first avenues of silt and contaminants. Retention ponds constructed on at least one of these streams will inhibit flow to the Saugahatchee.

  • Florida Rock has admitted that they will use runoff to fill retention ponds for dust abatement. Siltation and contamination could occur downstream if these retention ponds overflow during storms, winter and spring floods

  • Frequency and severity of flooding has increased due to development upstream. Paved surfaces funnel rainwater more rapidly into the stream instead of allowing water to soak into the soil.

  • Ammonium nitrate and the fuel oil used with it in quarry explosives could contaminate groundwater. One gallon of fuel can contaminate 750,000 gallons of groundwater.

  • Accidental oil and diesel fuel spills which occur wherever earth-moving equipment operates could also contaminate groundwater.

 

 

 

 

 

  • The Alabama Water Resources Study Commission in 1990 warned that a significant issue was groundwater depletion in Alabama cities. Groundwater levels at that time indicated dewatering of the aquifers. Groundwater quality is essentially unprotected by Alabama Law..

  • Asked how much water a quarry on the Saugahatchee Creek would need, Florida. Rock has mentioned 250,000 gallons a day; over a million gallons of water per week. Where do they get water when the retention ponds go dry during drought?

  • Dewatering is associated with activity at both the Martin-Marietta quarry at Chewacla and the Hanson quarry in Opelika. The problem with Chewacla Creek (drying up) was addressed only through recent legal action. There is no water available to the spring at nearby Spring Villa.

  • Florida Rock was involved in a dispute concerning Berry College in Georgia where buildings are crumbling and the college lake has disappeared. Florida Rock claimed no responsibility.

  • Well water levels near the Martin-Marietta quarry have dropped more than 30 feet according to nearby residents.

  • Loachapoka Water Authority won the EPA Region IV Public Water System Excellence Award in 1996. Loachapoka Water Authority is concerned about the risk of blasting and ground tremors to pipes now supplying water to thousands of residents (source: Dr. Richard Baker).

  • The very nature of a quarry operation will not allow for the conservation of:

    -Highly erodible soil, preserved in nature by existing slopes and covering vegetation.

    -Watercourses, floodplains & wetlands that make the natural drainage and aquifer recharge systems. [Loachapoka Water Authority Statement, Aug. 15, 2001]

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Overexposure by workers to crystalline silica is known to cause a disabling and fatal lung disease called silicosis. (National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association)

  • Granite contains silica. There is no cure for silicosis.

  • Silicosis occurs most frequently around rock drilling, rock crushing and loading of mine materials. (U.S. Dept. of Labor)

  • Silicate sources include rock crushing, grinding, and handling operations and wind-blown dust. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

  • Children, the elderly, asthmatics and persons with heart and lung disease are most susceptible to silicosis. (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency)

  • Exposure to silicates is considered one of the most dangerous hazards facing the mining industry. (Aggman - trade journal for the aggregate or rock industry)

  • Chronic silicosis usually occurs after ten or more years of exposure to crystalline silica at relatively low concentrations. (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Close to 7,000 vehicles travel Hwy. 14 each day (these counts do not include Auburn home game traffic).

  • Up to 1,200 school children are on Hwy. 14 and/or adjoining roads twice each day during the school year.

  • Florida Rock plans a railroad spur to cross Hwy. 14 and connect the quarry with the track. The track would cross Hwy 14 near a place local residents call Dead Man's Curve - for obvious reasons.

  • 75-100 trucks will operate from the quarry each day according to Florida Rock; it could be more.

  • These trucks are capable of 40 tons each dead weight. Lack of truck regulation in Alabama is legendary. The only warnings we have are STAY 200' BEHIND and NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR BROKEN WINDSHIELDS.

  • The trucks of vendors and suppliers will haul blasting materials, diesel fuel, replacement tires, heavy equipment and machinery, adding even more to the truck count and putting hazardous materials on these roads.

  • Quarries sublease to allied industries in order to increase their profit margins. How many trucks will these tenants add to the traffic counts?

  • Truck sheds and repair shops often locate near major freight sources for time/cost purposes. Will this community become a terminal for 3- and 5-axle trucks?

  • According to neighbors of Martin-Marietta quarry at Chewacla trucks line up at the quarry around 4:30 am each morning and often run until 10:00 pm at night.

  • Quarry owners assume no responsibility for truck accidents saying they are the responsibility of the trucking company.

  • Accidents may be rare but they are remembered, like the wheel that came off a truck in the Chewacla area and clipped down every mailbox it ran over. The wheel from another truck broke through both sides of a chain-link fence around a daycare center - an hour after the children had gone home.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Thirty jobs will be created; at least two of those jobs will be taken by current Florida Rock employees.

  • Florida Rock will pay a tax in the amount of 10 cents a ton for the rock they quarry. They estimate production at 1.2 million tons per year. Florida Rock will pay $120,000 per year for 2,400,000,000 pounds of Alabama.

  • The annual revenue of $120,000 will repair approximately three (3) miles of road. Re-surfacing and paving costs are considerably higher.

  • A loaded truck (weighing 80,000 pounds) does the same amount of damage as approximately 4,400 passenger cars (source: NCAT). County roads are not constructed for heavy truck traffic according to a former Lee County Highway Engineer.

  • Florida Rock plans to attract ancillary operations like concrete plants, asphalt plants and trucking interests. There is a Tenant Site included on Florida Rock's site plan for the quarry.

  • Florida Rock plans to send around 70% of the rock quarried to other areas and other states.

  • Over the next 50 years, 120 trillion pounds of Lee County will be hauled away forever.

 

 

 

 

  • Saugahatchee Creek is the most canoed creek in Lee County, upgraded from the level of Agricultural and Industrial to Fish and Wildlife in the past 4 years (with ADEM and EPA support).

  • 2 American Indian fishing weirs, or traps, are located in Saugahatchee Creek near the blast zone. Two registered archeological sites (Creek Indian or older) are located on adjoining land. The Alabama Historical Commission considers this a "sensitive area." Florida Rock has not released the results of their commissioned historical site evaluation.

  • Canoeists and kayakers paddle the Saugahatchee to see a variety of wildlife, including deer, turkey, wood ducks, and herons.

  • Fishing and hunting are popular activities in the Saugahatchee Creek area.

  • Hunter and outdoorsman Coach Pat Dye thinks so much of this area that he has purchased several property in this area. His lodge and hunting preserve, Crooked Oak is downstream from the blasting zone, as well as a property of rare beauty called LeSeur's Mill. Coach Dye is strongly against this quarry and working with his neighbors to see it permanently defeated.

  • "Every ton of rock going to Florida will be a ton of Loachapoka leaving forever. It will go on for 50 years if Florida Rock has its way" (Mary Lou Smith, Chewacla resident. Quoted with permission.).

 

 

 

Express your concerns about Water Quality and Air Quality issues

Reference Permit ID # NPDES - AL0074357

Email Russell Kelly: rak@adem.state.al.us (please CC: ebm@adem.state.al.us)

    - Or send a letter to:

Russell Kelly

Permits and Services Division

1400 Coliseum Boulevard

Montgomery, AL 36110-2059

  • Some questions that need to be answered include:

  1. How deep will the quarry pit be?

  2. How much water can Florida Rock remove from Saugahatchee Creek without a permit?

  3. How much groundwater does Florida Rock expect to encounter at this location?

  4. Are on-site monitoring wells being used to establish well levels and evaluate quarrying impact on the water table, as well as Saugahatchee Creek?

  5. Why hasn’t ADEM responded to citizens’ questions and concerns expressed during the previous Public Comment period?

  6. How can ADEM protect the Saugahatchee when they have failed to prevent the environmental disasters that occurred at Spring Villa and Chewacla?

  7. Where will Florida Rock get over a million gallons of water per week when rainfall is inadequate?

  8. How will residents be protected from silica dust during blasting?

  9. Has Florida Rock really established that there will be economic benefits accruing downstream, justifying the potential damage done by their discharge?

  10. Why haven’t current flood zone studies been required to establish accurate flood zones on and near the proposed quarry site?

 

 

 

 

stopthequarryinfo@yahoo.com

 

  We especially want to hear from others who have fought or are fighting a similar battle. Please share your experiences with us, even if you are from another state.