Limestone quarry pitch returns to planners in Benton County

BENTONVILLE — A proposal to mine limestone near Lowell will be back Wednesday night before the Benton County Planning Board, which delayed consideration last month after nearby residents protested.

Many of the residents who spoke against the quarry Nov. 7 cited possible well water contamination and increased heavy truck traffic on Old Wire Road.

The site is at 1425 N. Old Wire Road where red dirt is hauled out of the Cross Hollows mine. The area is just northeast of Lowell. Parts of the 135-acre property owned by David Covington are laid out in sections of 10 acres. Each 10-acre parcel represents a five-year operating period for limestone production, according to the Planning Board’s executive summary on the proposed project.

The limestone would be used for area road projects. The quarry project has all the required Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality permits, the planning summary states. Anchor Stone from Tulsa will lease the land and quarry the stone.

Limestone will be taken from areas where red dirt was once located, said Tim Sorey with Sand Creek Engineering of Bentonville. Sand Creek will represent Anchor Stone at the Planning Board meeting.

Planners decided to push back discussion to Wednesday night after Anchor Stone said it would help the county maintain a 6,000-foot portion of North Old Wire Road near the quarry. Any road work would have to be approved by County Judge Barry Moehring because he is in charge of the Road Department.

Planners also asked Anchor Stone to conduct a traffic study. The study and road plan will be turned in to the Planning Board today, Sorey said.

Moehring said the county has no plans to pave the dirt part of Old Wire Road. The traffic survey would tell county officials what specifications the road would need to be built to. The parcel will still be in the county road portfolio even if Anchor Stone paves it, Moehring said.

“The traffic study is critical,” he said. “It’s going to give us the volume and type of traffic.”

Moehring sent a letter to Planning Director Taylor Reamer and Planning Board Chairman Ron Homeyer.

“Because we are in the early stages of gathering information, I wanted to make you aware [that] we will not have a recommendation on the future of Old Wire Road prior to your December 5th meeting and likely won’t have a recommendation before the end of the month,” his letter says.

Sorey said getting the information will take time.

“If we don’t have all ... in the information in place, maybe it’s better to extend it,” he said of the board’s consideration.

It’s estimated 35 to 50 dump trucks a day would haul limestone from the quarry depending on the size and location of a particular project, said Sorey, who did not know how many dump trucks per day haul red dirt from the site. A loaded truck would weigh more than 20 tons.

The Planning Board packet for the Nov. 7 meeting contained more than a dozen letters against the quarry. Other residents showed up in person to protest the plan. More than 10 people stepped to the podium before the board and spoke against the quarry.

Alfred Jones Jr., who lives just east of the site, told the Planning Board he was concerned about the increased dump truck traffic and possible well water contamination from blasting.

Roy Anderson, who lives about a half-mile from the site, also was concerned about the water in the area, saying most people who live nearby use well water.

Anchor Stone would warranty any wells located within a quarter-mile of the site if any damage related to the quarry happened, Sorey said.

Noise was another concern cited by residents.

“I don’t know much about mining, but am fairly certain the use of explosives and limestone crushing machinery is not compatible with this landscape and the people living in it,” Vic Fountain wrote in an email to the board.

A rock crusher and blasting are part of the project, according to planning documents. Blasting would be done once a month. Blasting usually happens in the late morning or early afternoon, Sorey said.

“That blast happens, and it’s done,” Sorey said. “It’s a one-time shot.”

The quarry would operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer and from daylight to dusk in the winter, according to planning documents.

Moehring said his office has received more than a dozen emails from residents who live in the area and are opposed to the quarry since the board met on Nov. 7.

Some area residents also were concerned what would happen to the property in later years. Vegetation could be restored, Sorey said.

Sorey, who was on the board from 2001 to 2008, knows what to expect from residents Wednesday night.

‘There is a huge gathering of opposition, and they are well organized,” he said. “It becomes very personal, and I understand that.”