STOP THE
GRAVEL PIT
The
mining operations and its parade of dump trucks will damage residents’ quality
of life and affect their health. It will raise more dust, truck traffic and
noise, lower property values, lower the water table and disturb the aquifer.
·
Robert
Gilling 1470 Riversedge, Caro, MI 48723
wants to put a quarry/gravel/sand pit at 4165 Sheridan Road Vassar, MI – plain
and simple. This quarry/sand/gravel pit
will be located next to residential property.
·
The
land is currently zoned for AFR; Agriculture/Farming/Residential
·
It
will disturb the quality of life for the present residents and taxpayers.
·
The
effects of gravel/sand pits and quarries create loud noises from crushers and
screen plants, and chronic dust emissions and pollution and lower property
values thereby creating a public
nuisance for those people unfortunate
enough to live near such operations.
·
Heavy,
loud machinery will be used at the quarry/gravel/sand pit. This machinery includes front-end loaders,
hydraulic excavators, conveyor systems, grizzly feeders, jaw crushers to
pulverize stone, tractors and trucks in and out of the pit daily.
·
Quarries/gravel/sand
pits are notorious dust producers. Most of the dust is fine and easily
inhaled. Sand is made up of Silica (quartz). A fine layer of “fugitive dust” will cover
everything in the vicinity of the quarry/pit.
Irritant dust that settles in the nose leads
to rhinitis, an inflammation of the
mucous membrane. Then the dust particles attack the larger air passages and
causes inflammation of the trachea (tracheitis)
and then bronchitis. The most significant reactions of dust on the
lung occur in the deepest parts of the lung when sand settles in the
lungs. Dust particles collect in the
lung tissues, causing injury to the lungs.
These substances cause fibrous or scar tissue to form. With silica
(sand) so much fibrous tissue and scarring form that lung function can be
impaired. The fibrous tissue formation and scarring is called fibrosis. Another lung
disease caused by the inhalation of dust is "pneumoconiosis." This simply means "dusty lung."
·
The quarry/gravel/sand pit will create pollution from fossil fuels from the
gas and diesel fuels from machinery and trucks.
·
Quarries/gravel/sand
mining can change ground water levels. Long-term implications of gravel mining
can result in contaminated groundwater, which can affect well water that
families rely upon. This contamination of groundwater can happen when the
clay-rich sediment that seals the surface of an aquifer is broken. When these layers are exposed, they "serve
as a conduit for contaminants into the entire aquifer" because the gravel
pit "can also allow surface runoff containing extraneous chemicals, such
as pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and sewage, to enter the groundwater
system. Our wells and drinking water will be affected. Quarries
and pits that actively dewater may have impacts on neighboring wells and may lower the water table.
·
More traffic on the roads. This will mean increased taxes to pay for the increased usage on the roads.
·
The quarry/gravel/sand pit will mean more noise and traffic.
·
Neighborhoods
near quarry/gravel/sand pits will have lower
property values.
·
The
environmental effects of quarries/gravel/sand mining can include the loss of habitat for fish and wildlife. According
to the Department of Environmental Quality, this property is a wetland. A quarry/gravel/sand pit will destroy the
environment and the wildlife that live there.
·
The
quarry/gravel/sand pit will impact
the quality of life that we currently enjoy.
·
The
local board must realize they were elected to support and provide the local
citizens and taxpayers clean air and
water, a healthy environment, support of wildlife, and protection of homes and
property values.
QUESTIONS THE BOARD MUST ASK:
1. Is the issuing of this permit in the
best public interest?
2. Would this permit disrupt the
quality of life that the residents now enjoy?
3. Would this permit lower property
values of residents?
4. Would this permit cause health
problems to the residents?
5. Would this permit create a traffic
nuisance to the residents?
6. Where does the true benefit of a
gravel pit lie?
HAS THE BOARD ASKED
FOR:
Topographic Map
One area of concern
is the topography of a mining site. A map showing elevations, roads,
floodplains, property
lines, and other natural and human-made features should be provided. It can be
used to address runoff, flooding, and equipment storage area questions.
Geologic Map
A geologic map of the
site is an important piece of information that should be supplied by the
mine operator. The
information provided by a geologic map will provide answers to questions
about the deposit’s
size and extent, geologic boundaries, clay or shale layers that are protecting
lower aquifers, and
the amount of unusable material that will need to be stockpiled and stored at
the site.
Hydrologic
Information
Assessing the
potential impacts of mining operations on ground-water flow, wells, and surface
waters requires
hydrologic information. The direction of ground-water flow in the deposit, the
location and
construction of wells, and any surface-water bodies (streams, lakes, wetlands,
and
springs) should be
displayed on a map of the area at the appropriate scale. If the mine is to be
dewatered, the
pumping point, volume, and discharge location should also be included. This
information will
allow local government staff and mining companies to assess the impact a quarry or
pit will have on adjacent wells and surface-water features.
Karst Information
Quarries/sand/gravel
pits have some particular information needs due to their potential to affect
water resources that are not immediately
adjacent to the site. An experienced karst hydrologist orgeologist should
conduct an inventory and survey of springs, sinkholes, stream sinks, caves, and other
karst features in the area. Dye tracing may be needed to determine the
connection between sinkholes and stream sinks at the site
and area springs. Properly assessing the hydrology of the area should aid in
siting new quarries in locations where they will not affect springs and
streams.
Mining Plan
To visualize the size
and scope of mining operations, a detailed mining plan should be provided.
It should include
mining stages; dimensions of the mine; and the location of processing areas,
stockpiles, settling
ponds, washing facilities, stormwater ponds, and roads. This plan could be
combined with the
topographic map to present an overall view of the site and the mine
operations.
Reclamation Plan
A key issue is the
use and character of a mining area after mining operations end. To address this issue,
a reclamation plan should be prepared. It needs to detail what reclamation
activities will be done during mining, reclamation
methods, vegetation types, shape and slope of open water areas, and
the future use of the site. This information will allow local governments and
the mining companies to tailor the reclamation
plan so that the design and use of the reclaimed area is compatible
with the surrounding properties.
Wetlands
This
property is considered wetlands and is protected under Michigan's wetland statute, Part 303, Wetlands Protection, of the
Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, according to
the Department of Environmental Quality.
Conclusions
Studies have shown
that in certain areas, these mines can affect the local water resources.
Quarries and pits
that actively dewater may have impacts on neighboring wells. Areas that need to
be avoided include those with calcareous
ferns and large springs.
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