A Cleveland, Tenn.-based company is one step closer to building a quarry two miles outside Calhoun, Tenn.
East Tennessee Materials Co., which is owned by Chattanooga-based Avenrock Materials, received air pollutant permits from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation on Monday.
PDF: Air Pollutant Permit 1PDF: Air Pollutant Permit 2
As far as governmental authorization before building the quarry, the company now needs only a wastewater permit from TDEC concerning discharges into a portion of the Oostanaula Creek.
TDEC is scheduled to host a public hearing about the quarry on Nov. 18, with written comments being accepted through Nov. 29, said department spokeswoman Tisha Calabrese-Benton.
No decisions will be made on the wastewater permit before these dates, she said.
The quarry, set to be built off McMinn County Road 971, has encountered opposition from surrounding residents, who have formed a group called Citizens Against the McMinn Quarry.
“There’s been a huge outcry,” said Brenda Gossett, a McMinn resident who was building a house near the proposed quarry site but said she now is holding off. “It’s definitely something that we do not feel like it’s in the best interest of our community.”
The potential for ecological problems and the damaging effects of blasting are the two main reasons cited by quarry opponents.
Scott Alexander, co-owner of Avenrock, said the opposition is a result of “misinformation” circulating on the Internet and in the county.
“People, if they don’t know, there’s fear, and that’s certainly understandable,” he said. “I just kind of wish they do a little investigation, and anybody’s welcome to call me or call Tim Townhill, [Avenrock’s other owner].”
As far as environmental concerns, Alexander said TDEC covers all issues “with a fine-tooth comb” before issuing permits.
“They don’t [issue permits] unless they’re 110 percent sure that everything is the way it’s supposed to be,” he said.
Blasting, he said, is “very tightly controlled” and can be done only by a licensed blaster.
Gossett said residents in Franklin, Tenn., who live near a quarry, have reported damage to their houses.
State law, Alexander said, requires companies to reimburse residents within 300 feet of the blasting for any damage. But, he said, there is no one within 3,000 feet of any potential blasting sites at the McMinn quarry.
“Unfortunately, you get a lot of emotional concern,” he said. “If I didn’t have the knowledge base that I did, I would certainly be concerned, too.”
QUARRY FEEDBACK
Send to:
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Attn: Public Notice Coordinator
3711 Middlebrook Pike
Knoxville, TN 37921
or e-mail to Gary.Mullins@tn.gov or call 865-594-6035