Residents Plan To Appeal Quarry Permit

A large truck leaves Northwest Arkansas Quarries on Washington County 91 and drives over a white, chalky substance. Nearby residents said the substance travels by air and coats their property. They plan to appeal a recent permit approved by the county Planning Board to expand stockpile areas within the quarry.
A large truck leaves Northwest Arkansas Quarries on Washington County 91 and drives over a white, chalky substance. Nearby residents said the substance travels by air and coats their property. They plan to appeal a recent permit approved by the county Planning Board to expand stockpile areas within the quarry.

— The double yellow line dividing traffic on Washington County 91 disappears under a white chalky dust for dozens of feet to the north and south of the Northwest Arkansas Quarries entrance.

Residents who live a little more than a half a mile from the quarry, east of Springdale said the dust travels in the air and lands on their cars, yards and sometimes wafts into their homes when their windows are open.

“If I was to be dragging stuff and trashing the road with dirt and mud, the county would come to me and make me clean it up,” said Ronald Rich, a neighbor of the quarry.

At A Glance

Dust Concerns

The Planning Office’s conclusions about dust complaints near the Northwest Arkansas Quarries, east of Springdale:

• A new dust abatement plan with revised practices has been submitted for the quarry.

• Much of the dust is created during crushing activity. By allowing more material stockpiling, it’s possible for the quarry to only crush rock six to seven months per year.

• Allowing stockpiling areas with a good dust abatement plan for keeping the haul roads wet, approaches swept, etc. will most likely create a better dust situation than if the stockpile areas were eliminated.

Source: Washington County

Rich and his neighbor, Brett Ralston, plan to appeal a recent permit granted this month by the Washington County Planning Board to the quarry company. The permit allows the company to expand its 120-acre operating area by 111 acres, mostly for stockpiling purposes.

The neighbors brought pictures of a white road, vegetation covered in dust, and dust clouds leaving the mining pit to show Quorum Court members Thursday night.

The Quorum Court planned to ratify the board’s permit but tabled the issue because of Rich and Ralston’s expected appeal, Juliet Richey, planning director, said after the meeting.

They, or anyone else, have until July 9, she said. Once the appeal is filed, the Quorum Court would schedule a hearing to review the appeal, according to county ordinance.

“The county requires a dust abatement plan for quarries now,” Richey said. “The quarry he’s talking about was originally permitted in 2003 and we didn’t have those regulations. So technically, right now I have no control over that part.”

Before the recent permit approval, the county sent 57 letters to residents within a half mile of the quarry to inform them of the application.

Seven people responded. Six opposed the permit. One favored it.

“Everything for a mile or more is covered with dust,” wrote Howard Eden, one of the seven opponents. “Anything left outside will be covered with a fine layer of dust resembling talcum powder. It gets on everything both inside and outside the home. Our children used to play outside but have been driven indoors by the dust and fumes from the mine area.”

Quarry officials said the recent permit approval from the board June 7 would alleviate some of the dust problems, according to documents they filed with the board. The dust mainly comes when the quarry crushes rock within the original 120 acres, the planning staff reported to the Planning Board.

“The stockpile areas allow us to maintain inventories to meet the construction needs of Northwest Arkansas and only operate the plant a few months of the year,” Chris Godsey, who represents the quarry, wrote to the board. “In essence, this means less dust due to the plant not operating, and blasting is not occurring since the plant is not in operation.”

The quarry has met compliance standards set by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality in the last three years, said Katherine Benenati, state spokeswoman. Two complaints were filed against the quarry since October.

The department has done unannounced inspections and found the complaints to be unsubstantiated, she said.

“Every time we turn around they’re always in compliance,” Rich said. “Maybe the laws need to change a little bit. It’s not right to create hazards to people that live within the vicinity of any rock quarry.”

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