PDF: Permit application PDF: Draft permit and rationale
Residents in and around Calhoun, Tenn., are uniting to fight a proposed limestone quarry two miles outside city limits on the banks of Oostanaula Creek.
Residents concerned about the quarry, which is being built by Cleveland-based East Tennessee Materials Co., crowded Monday night into a McMinn County Commission meeting. Some also met Thursday evening at Calhoun Elementary School to discuss what the quarry could do to the surrounding area.
The reasons for opposition, residents say, include the noise, dust, debris and earth movement from blasting and possible groundwater contamination, air quality issues and damage to surrounding ecosystems.
They’re especially concerned, they say, with Oostanaula Creek, which is expected to receive at least some mineral runoff.