Sunday, November 15, 2009
Resident Comments
Recently, many neighbors in Assonet and Berkley presented the Freetown Soil Board with written comments about their homes shaking, loud noise and other complaints about the CCA quarry that began operating near their homes. Some of those comments from various neighbors are posted (with permission) below on this blog.
Packed Breakables Away
I packed away all of my good china and took glass ornaments and decorations down from the beams where they used to hang. I didn't want the decorations to fall during a blast and hit us on the head. I didn't want my good dishes to rattle and fall over and break. When guests came over for a dinner party, I had to unpack all my good dishes to use them and then pack them all back up again afterwords. It is a lot of trouble to go through just to keep your things from getting broken. It is a hard way to live every day - like living out of a suitcase in your own home.
PD
PD
Concerns
I am concerned about Benzene getting into my well water form the ANFO used to ignite the blasts, my well going dry and my home becomming damaged and loosing its value in the market because it is now located next to a major nusience.
Concerned
Concerned
No Peace of Mind
Since CCA has come into the neighborhood, our peace and quite has been taken away. Our peace of mind has been taken away. We have not been able to enjoy our yard as much as we used to before CCA arrived. This greatly impacts our ability to use and enjoy our own property.
Bryant
Bryant
No Warning - Broken Promises
CCA said they were going to give us a warning just before the blasts and an all clear signal after. We have not heard any warnings or all clear since the very first test blast. CCA is not building a good relationship with the neighbors if they don't do the things they tell us they will do.
Annoyed
Annoyed
Earthquake-like Experience
I was in the yard this summer when the quarry blasted. I felt the earth ripple under my feet. It felt just like an earthquake. It was a very unnerving experience.
Suffering for Other's Profits
It is too bad we should suffer for someone who has millions of dollars and greed to make more money. How much money does CCA need? How many people suffer from noise and property shaking so they can make more money?
Richard
Richard
Seriously Shaken
The blasts have been getting stronger and louder since they started. Our house noticeably shakes with each blast. The windows rattle. We put a float in a glass of water on the windowsill and when they blast, you can really see the water and the float shake around - not a little, but a lot. If the shaking continues over many years, I am very seriously concerned about cracks and damage to our house.
Bry
Bry
Blast Sounds Like Sonic Boom
(The CCA quarry blast causes) wall tremors with severe window vibrations and shaking with sonic boom type sounds.
Cudworth
Cudworth
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Train? Truck? Earthquake? No. Quarry Blast!
On Monday, October 19th, 2009 at approximately 11:30 a.m.,I was home when the latest blast occured. It was very loud and shook my house quite extensively. It was equivalent to a train or truck hitting your house. I have been in earthquakes before, in 1994 at Northridge, CA and in 2004 in Bar Harbor, ME, and believe me this latest blast was equivalent to an earthquake. Blasting is now occurring on a regular basis. The question is how many more blasts it will take before permanent structural damage occurs to my home. After each blast you go look at your foundation and interior walls of your home to see if there are any damages or cracks.
ETQ
ETQ
Frightened Resident Wants Blasting Stopped
It (the blast at the CCA quarry site on October 19th) shook the house so it really frightened me and this should not continue. Something terrible will happen and then it's too late. This must be stopped and we should not have to worry about our home being damaged. Stop this immediately!
Celia
Celia
Alarmed Resident
My wife said it (the blast of October 19th at the CCA quarry site) was like an earthquake, It was very loud. Everything shook. It was way worse then the "tests" performed.
Shortly after the blast, a fire truck came through the neighborhood - so, obviously other people were alarmed as well - having called the Fire Department.
Obie
Shortly after the blast, a fire truck came through the neighborhood - so, obviously other people were alarmed as well - having called the Fire Department.
Obie
Resident Not Notified of Blasting - House Shook
During the week of October 19, 2009, I was home during the daytime hours and on one day while I was resting due to illness I was awakened by what I believe to be explosions.
I thought a large tree or trees had fallen upon my rooftop, and went outside to check for what I anticipated to be extensive damage to my home.
During the loud explosions the dinning room chandelier actually shook. I did not find any tree down or any sign of damage to my residence on the exterior. It was then that I realized the extensive shaking of my home was most likely the result of blasting.
My family and I are quite concerned about the effects of this blasting on the integrity of the structure of our home, as well as the impact upon our septic system and well.
Souza
I thought a large tree or trees had fallen upon my rooftop, and went outside to check for what I anticipated to be extensive damage to my home.
During the loud explosions the dinning room chandelier actually shook. I did not find any tree down or any sign of damage to my residence on the exterior. It was then that I realized the extensive shaking of my home was most likely the result of blasting.
My family and I are quite concerned about the effects of this blasting on the integrity of the structure of our home, as well as the impact upon our septic system and well.
Souza
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Blasting and Property Damage
Complaints filed with local fire departments and newspaper and news broadcast accounts all plainly list the damages blasting can cause to residential homes.
Residents living near blast sites have suffered from cracks in home foundations, basement flooding from groundwater entering through basement cracks, cracks in interior walls, ceiling collapse, broken well pumps, damage to wells, groundwater contamination from blasting residue and cracks in in-ground pools.
Homeowner's insurance will not cover damages caused by blasting. When residents file for damages with the blasting company's insurance, they are told that their homes are "settling." Other common insurance excuses for not paying claims for blasting damage include: workmanship, age, guttering, drainage, drought and heavy rains run-off.
At a Selectmen's Hearing in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, residents complained about Maine Drilling and Blasting. "We've got problems you can't believe," said one resident. Houses affected had as much as $10,000 to $15,000 in damage. Liberty Mutual, which insured the blasting done by Maine Drilling and Blasting was refusing to pay. "They're just walking all over us," one resident stated.
Residents living near blast sites have suffered from cracks in home foundations, basement flooding from groundwater entering through basement cracks, cracks in interior walls, ceiling collapse, broken well pumps, damage to wells, groundwater contamination from blasting residue and cracks in in-ground pools.
Homeowner's insurance will not cover damages caused by blasting. When residents file for damages with the blasting company's insurance, they are told that their homes are "settling." Other common insurance excuses for not paying claims for blasting damage include: workmanship, age, guttering, drainage, drought and heavy rains run-off.
At a Selectmen's Hearing in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, residents complained about Maine Drilling and Blasting. "We've got problems you can't believe," said one resident. Houses affected had as much as $10,000 to $15,000 in damage. Liberty Mutual, which insured the blasting done by Maine Drilling and Blasting was refusing to pay. "They're just walking all over us," one resident stated.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Our Story/Our Home
My husband and I were certain it would be financially imposable for us to ever own our own home. Still, we wanted it desperately and saved for years, working several jobs at a time in order to save.
For 15 years before we married, I lived in a small attic apartment in East Boston - right near the airport. The evening I moved in the landlady came out to talk to me. She was yelling something, but I couldn't hear what she was saying over the roar of a jet engine on the runway. When I got close enough to understand her words, she was saying, "You're going to like it here. It's a nice quite neighborhood."
The neighbors were quite for the most part, however Logan airport was not. The cargo planes would start up at 5:00 am and planes would fly right over my roof, with the landing gear almost close enough to touch. In the summer there was no air conditioning, so it meant living with the noise through the open windows. One night I was coming home when a plane flew very low over the car. For the rest of that night and 1/2 the next day, everything I heard had a strange echo to it and an odd metallic ringing sound.
The airport was there before I moved in and I certainly knew about its existence before before I rented the apartment. The rent was affordable for a nice apartment and that was the trade off I knowingly decided to make.
Latter, my husband and I moved to a different apartment. Housing in Massachusetts is expensive and decent housing (someplace that doesn't look like it should be condemned) is very hard to find. After an extensive search, we thought we had found the right place. The first night we slept in the new apartment, we discovered that the realtor and landlord had neglected to tell us about the freight train in the back yard. It came by 3 times every night- at midnight, 3:00 a.m and 4:00 a.m. The entire building would shake. Items inside would topple and break. The bedroom would fill with light and noise and then the train would start to blow its whistle. It sounded like it was right next to us - and it was- just on the other side of the wall. I developed sleep problems and for years after we moved I would wake up every night at 12:00, 3:00 and 4:00 a.m.
When we finally had the down payment for our own house and interest rates were low, we looked for our home for over a year to find what we wanted. During that year we looked at a lot of dumps and got outbid on several houses in a very competitive sellers' market with many buyers competing for each home. By the end of that year, we had to give notice on our apartment or take another year's lease. Staying there wasn't an option as I had changed jobs and the commute from the apartment to the new job wasn't a realistic possibility. We were close to becoming homeless with money to buy a house but no house to buy. To get our current home we had to significantly overbid above the asking price of the home.
The seller's realtor treated us and our home inspector rudely and made every part of the transaction unnecessarily difficult, putting unusual clauses into the purchase and sale agreement and making the sale of the house contingent on these clauses. What is a purchase and sale agreement if it does not say that they are selling the house and we are buying it? We had to hire a lawyer and fight the realtor to get the sale to go through.
We wanted to get away from the city and live in a country setting. We wanted to live in the woods, where we could enjoy feeding and watching the birds and seeing wildlife. After the airport and the train, the one thing I really wanted most was a quite place to live. We both wanted some land as living in apartments, we had not had our own yard. I love to garden and wanted to have my own gardens. We looked the property over carefully. We looked at what was around it. We examined the neighborhood. We asked what was behind us. We asked what could be put in around us in the future and checked the zoning laws. There was no quarry when we bought our house or for the first 8 years that we lived here.
For 8 years we were ecstatic. We had to use all of our savings and cash out my retirement to get the house. We are not a young couple-it has taken us half our lives to get into our own home. It took every penny both of us earn to keep the mortgage paid. Since we got the house we have not traveled on vacation and have made several other personal sacrifices to keep the mortgage paid. But to come home to this house and this yard in this town was always worth it. Until now. It is not a big or elaborate house. It is small and simple, but in good condition and just what we wanted.
And quite? The first night we moved in we listened to the frogs and crickets instead of sirens and trains or planes or people partying in the street. I told my husband it sounded like when we went camping, only we would get to live this way every day now. On summer nights we watched the fireflies in the yard and could see the stars. I planted a huge organic vegetable garden and flowers everywhere. We had fruit trees in the yard. We began planning a large flower garden for the back yard. I got all kinds of birds at my feeders and would sit and watch them every morning. I planted flowers to attract specific birds and it worked! We invited family and friends to enjoy BBQ's in our yard. We had fox, rabbits, deer, wild turkey and other wildlife in our yard. We bought our first outdoor furniture.
Then came the quarry - 8 years after our purchase - not before. It wasn't like the airport, where I knew it was there and decided to live with it anyway. Had I any idea that there would be a quarry here, I would never have bought this house. I can't stand being in the yard I used to love because of the noise from the quarry. My house shakes and could become damaged from the blasting. Our health could be compromised. My home that once brought me so much joy and peace is now a source of constant stress because of the quarry. Our peace and quite is gone. Our peace of mind is gone. Our financial investment in our home is ruined as the quarry devalues our property in the market. We bought this home intending to pay it off and live here the rest of our lives. This home would be our retirement. It was everything to us. We miss what our home and yard used to be for us before the quarry came and worry about staying in an intolerable situation that will only get worse if the quarry is allowed to remain and become larger and closer to our home.
My heart is broken.
For 15 years before we married, I lived in a small attic apartment in East Boston - right near the airport. The evening I moved in the landlady came out to talk to me. She was yelling something, but I couldn't hear what she was saying over the roar of a jet engine on the runway. When I got close enough to understand her words, she was saying, "You're going to like it here. It's a nice quite neighborhood."
The neighbors were quite for the most part, however Logan airport was not. The cargo planes would start up at 5:00 am and planes would fly right over my roof, with the landing gear almost close enough to touch. In the summer there was no air conditioning, so it meant living with the noise through the open windows. One night I was coming home when a plane flew very low over the car. For the rest of that night and 1/2 the next day, everything I heard had a strange echo to it and an odd metallic ringing sound.
The airport was there before I moved in and I certainly knew about its existence before before I rented the apartment. The rent was affordable for a nice apartment and that was the trade off I knowingly decided to make.
Latter, my husband and I moved to a different apartment. Housing in Massachusetts is expensive and decent housing (someplace that doesn't look like it should be condemned) is very hard to find. After an extensive search, we thought we had found the right place. The first night we slept in the new apartment, we discovered that the realtor and landlord had neglected to tell us about the freight train in the back yard. It came by 3 times every night- at midnight, 3:00 a.m and 4:00 a.m. The entire building would shake. Items inside would topple and break. The bedroom would fill with light and noise and then the train would start to blow its whistle. It sounded like it was right next to us - and it was- just on the other side of the wall. I developed sleep problems and for years after we moved I would wake up every night at 12:00, 3:00 and 4:00 a.m.
When we finally had the down payment for our own house and interest rates were low, we looked for our home for over a year to find what we wanted. During that year we looked at a lot of dumps and got outbid on several houses in a very competitive sellers' market with many buyers competing for each home. By the end of that year, we had to give notice on our apartment or take another year's lease. Staying there wasn't an option as I had changed jobs and the commute from the apartment to the new job wasn't a realistic possibility. We were close to becoming homeless with money to buy a house but no house to buy. To get our current home we had to significantly overbid above the asking price of the home.
The seller's realtor treated us and our home inspector rudely and made every part of the transaction unnecessarily difficult, putting unusual clauses into the purchase and sale agreement and making the sale of the house contingent on these clauses. What is a purchase and sale agreement if it does not say that they are selling the house and we are buying it? We had to hire a lawyer and fight the realtor to get the sale to go through.
We wanted to get away from the city and live in a country setting. We wanted to live in the woods, where we could enjoy feeding and watching the birds and seeing wildlife. After the airport and the train, the one thing I really wanted most was a quite place to live. We both wanted some land as living in apartments, we had not had our own yard. I love to garden and wanted to have my own gardens. We looked the property over carefully. We looked at what was around it. We examined the neighborhood. We asked what was behind us. We asked what could be put in around us in the future and checked the zoning laws. There was no quarry when we bought our house or for the first 8 years that we lived here.
For 8 years we were ecstatic. We had to use all of our savings and cash out my retirement to get the house. We are not a young couple-it has taken us half our lives to get into our own home. It took every penny both of us earn to keep the mortgage paid. Since we got the house we have not traveled on vacation and have made several other personal sacrifices to keep the mortgage paid. But to come home to this house and this yard in this town was always worth it. Until now. It is not a big or elaborate house. It is small and simple, but in good condition and just what we wanted.
And quite? The first night we moved in we listened to the frogs and crickets instead of sirens and trains or planes or people partying in the street. I told my husband it sounded like when we went camping, only we would get to live this way every day now. On summer nights we watched the fireflies in the yard and could see the stars. I planted a huge organic vegetable garden and flowers everywhere. We had fruit trees in the yard. We began planning a large flower garden for the back yard. I got all kinds of birds at my feeders and would sit and watch them every morning. I planted flowers to attract specific birds and it worked! We invited family and friends to enjoy BBQ's in our yard. We had fox, rabbits, deer, wild turkey and other wildlife in our yard. We bought our first outdoor furniture.
Then came the quarry - 8 years after our purchase - not before. It wasn't like the airport, where I knew it was there and decided to live with it anyway. Had I any idea that there would be a quarry here, I would never have bought this house. I can't stand being in the yard I used to love because of the noise from the quarry. My house shakes and could become damaged from the blasting. Our health could be compromised. My home that once brought me so much joy and peace is now a source of constant stress because of the quarry. Our peace and quite is gone. Our peace of mind is gone. Our financial investment in our home is ruined as the quarry devalues our property in the market. We bought this home intending to pay it off and live here the rest of our lives. This home would be our retirement. It was everything to us. We miss what our home and yard used to be for us before the quarry came and worry about staying in an intolerable situation that will only get worse if the quarry is allowed to remain and become larger and closer to our home.
My heart is broken.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Shake, Rattle and Roll
People living in neighborhoods near quarries complain that during blasting their homes shake. We have already been experiencing this ourselves. I took all my hanging decorations down from my exposed beams because I did not want things to fall and hit us on the head when the house shakes from blasting. I also packed away all of my china so it wouldn't break when the house shakes. When we had company for dinner, I unpacked the china to be able to use it and had to pack it all away agian when done. Imagine having to go through this every time you wanted to use something breakable in your house.
CCA invited town Selectmen from Freetown and Berkley to witness their first test blast. It was a very small blast for a haul road on site. It was not a demonstration of typical production blasting. The first blast was a series of pops with a small amount of ground vibration. A neighbor was in his yard during the blast and felt a small amount of vibration on his deck. Several neighbors, including ourselves, heard the pops.
However, that one demopnstration was the only blast that has been that mild. Since then, the blasts have increased in size, booming noise and ground vibration with each blast. If the quarry continues to increase in acreage and depth, as they would like to do according to their plans, the blasts will continue getting much larger and also much closer to homes.
Since blasting started we feel our house shaking more and more with each blast. The last two blasts were especially noticeable inside the house and all our windows rattled. We keep a glass of water with a float in it on our mantle and windowsills and during a blast we can really see the water and the float shaking around as the house vibrates and rattles. I was in the front yard during one blast and when the ground shook under my feet, it was unnerving -like an earthquake.
So who would want to live like this? Probably no one - if they could help it. The thing is when we purchased our home 8 years ago all was quite. There was no quarry and the setting on and around our property was idealic. We checked with the realitor, the Town Hall and our closing attorney about what kind of land uses were allowed around our home before we signed on the dotted line. We were told by all these sources that the property around our home was zoned as residential and that the only development that could ever be allowed near our home could only be residential. An examination of zoning laws easily confirms this. So how could this happen? Good question. I guess it is what happens when small towns become more interested in tax dollars from a large company then the health, safety and well being of residents.
CCA invited town Selectmen from Freetown and Berkley to witness their first test blast. It was a very small blast for a haul road on site. It was not a demonstration of typical production blasting. The first blast was a series of pops with a small amount of ground vibration. A neighbor was in his yard during the blast and felt a small amount of vibration on his deck. Several neighbors, including ourselves, heard the pops.
However, that one demopnstration was the only blast that has been that mild. Since then, the blasts have increased in size, booming noise and ground vibration with each blast. If the quarry continues to increase in acreage and depth, as they would like to do according to their plans, the blasts will continue getting much larger and also much closer to homes.
Since blasting started we feel our house shaking more and more with each blast. The last two blasts were especially noticeable inside the house and all our windows rattled. We keep a glass of water with a float in it on our mantle and windowsills and during a blast we can really see the water and the float shaking around as the house vibrates and rattles. I was in the front yard during one blast and when the ground shook under my feet, it was unnerving -like an earthquake.
So who would want to live like this? Probably no one - if they could help it. The thing is when we purchased our home 8 years ago all was quite. There was no quarry and the setting on and around our property was idealic. We checked with the realitor, the Town Hall and our closing attorney about what kind of land uses were allowed around our home before we signed on the dotted line. We were told by all these sources that the property around our home was zoned as residential and that the only development that could ever be allowed near our home could only be residential. An examination of zoning laws easily confirms this. So how could this happen? Good question. I guess it is what happens when small towns become more interested in tax dollars from a large company then the health, safety and well being of residents.
Information about Quarry Noise
Noise can be expected from all aspects of a quarry operation: drilling, blasting, extraction, rock crushing, earth moving, loading and transfer operations and increased truck traffic. Below is a list of the decibels of noise produced by each piece of equipment.
Air Drill - 120 dBA
Bulldozer - 85 dBA
Truck - 88 dBA
Loader - 85 dBA
Scrapper - 89 dBA
Rock Crusher - between 110 and 120 dBA
Imagine the combined noise created by many trucks, bulldozers and machinery operating at once. Equipment at 120 dBA is significantly loud and can cause permanent hearing loss. Operators of equipment at those dBA's are required to wear professional ear protection and are only allowed to operate the equipment for no more then 2 hours a day in order to avoid hearing loss. Residents living near quarries have to listen to the noise all day long, every day with no ear protection.
It is more then just a nuisance. Constant noise has been shown to negatively impact the health of adults by being linked to high blood pressure and other stress-related health issues. Noise from blasting creates a startle effect. Noise negatively impacts children's cognitive development. Children in a study who were exposed to higher noise levels (in the study the noise was caused by an airport)tested 6 months behind their peers.
Noise can travel distances through the air, so even people who do not live right next door to the quarry can still be bothered by the noise. In other locations near quarries residents living 1/2 mile, 1 mile, 1.3 miles and 2 miles from the site have complained about noise and the effects of blasting. The hollow amphitheater shape of a quarry actually amplifies noise.
Noise contributes to lowering property values. Who would spend the same amount of money to live in a location with constant, startling, bothersome noise when they could just as easily live in a house without that drawback?
Air Drill - 120 dBA
Bulldozer - 85 dBA
Truck - 88 dBA
Loader - 85 dBA
Scrapper - 89 dBA
Rock Crusher - between 110 and 120 dBA
Imagine the combined noise created by many trucks, bulldozers and machinery operating at once. Equipment at 120 dBA is significantly loud and can cause permanent hearing loss. Operators of equipment at those dBA's are required to wear professional ear protection and are only allowed to operate the equipment for no more then 2 hours a day in order to avoid hearing loss. Residents living near quarries have to listen to the noise all day long, every day with no ear protection.
It is more then just a nuisance. Constant noise has been shown to negatively impact the health of adults by being linked to high blood pressure and other stress-related health issues. Noise from blasting creates a startle effect. Noise negatively impacts children's cognitive development. Children in a study who were exposed to higher noise levels (in the study the noise was caused by an airport)tested 6 months behind their peers.
Noise can travel distances through the air, so even people who do not live right next door to the quarry can still be bothered by the noise. In other locations near quarries residents living 1/2 mile, 1 mile, 1.3 miles and 2 miles from the site have complained about noise and the effects of blasting. The hollow amphitheater shape of a quarry actually amplifies noise.
Noise contributes to lowering property values. Who would spend the same amount of money to live in a location with constant, startling, bothersome noise when they could just as easily live in a house without that drawback?
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Noise Again Today
I went to visit a neighbor on the other side of town today. I spent about 2 hours on their porperty. It was quite, peaceful and very enjoyable there. Then I returned home to my own yard and noticed the difference immediately. Lots of noise again today from the CCA quarry site from down the street. There is loud machinery noise from heavy equipment, the constant beep, beep noise from back up alarms from trucks, a loud mechanical continous tapping sound and an occasional loud banging sound. The thing about this noise is that it is continous all day long with no pauses or stopping. The contrast between the two yards today made me realise how much this neighborhood has already lost compared to other similar neighborhoods in town. The thing is that many people bought their homes here to live where it would be quite, before the quarry came along and changed all our lives.
Quaker Brook, Wetlands, Vernal Pools, Pollution
Quaker Brook, wetlands and several vernal pools are located on the Berkley side of the Cape Cod Aggregates quarry property. Quaker Brook feeds into the Assonet River and environmental impact on Quaker Brook may negatively impact the Assonet River. Quaker Brook could be at risk of becoming contaminated with silt, rock dust and chemical contaminates from blasting. CCA would be pumping the aquifer out of the quarry in order ti mine. There has been no hydrology study to determine the relationship between the aquifer and the wetlands. Pumping the aquifer may dry up the wetlands. Several vernal pools would be permanently obliterated in creating the quarry pit. Creating the quarry would result in a loss of habitat for local wildlife.
Quarry dust from rock crushing creates air pollution.
Trucks, blasting and heavy equipment create noise pollution.
Quarry dust from rock crushing creates air pollution.
Trucks, blasting and heavy equipment create noise pollution.
Ecology
The CCA quarry operation in Freetown has not been reviewed by the Freetown Conservation Commission. The Freetown Conservation Commission has not expressed any plan to actively monitor the CCA operation to avoid detrimental impact to the environment. No Environmental Impact Study, hydrology study, prevailing winds study, traffic study or pump test has been performed to determine the impact this project may have on the local ecology.
Neighbors are fearful that the Assonet River may become contaminated with silt, rock dust and chemical contaminates from blasting. Such contamination would have a detrimental effect on plant life, aquatic life and wildlife along the river.
A copy of CCA's NIOs for compliance with state water quality standards was requested by residents from the Freetown Conservation Commission and was never received. CCA has not informed the public about how they plan to address significant storm events for storm water discharges. Berkley residents hired a hydrologist to review the same hydrology report that was also submitted by CCA to Freetown. This expert found the report to be inadequate and lacking any real hard scientific data to reasonably predict the effect of the operation on wetlands, groundwater and private wells. The this hydrologist also warned that the quarry would act as a giant well, drawing water away from the neighboring private water supply wells.
Blasting can affect water levels in the groundwater and consequently may affect water levels in other nearby surface bodies of water - such as the wetlands, Quaker Brook, the Assonet River and Forge Pond. The land the quarry operation is sited on is part of the Taunton River Watershed and is shown on the Natural Heritage Map to be a location that supports living waters. Blasting conducted on the site has a serious potential to create groundwater contamination.
The operation is close to a bird sanctuary that is part of the environmentally unique Assonet Cedar Swamp as well as several forested conservation properties. The noise, dust and ground vibrations from blasting will greatly diminish public enjoyment of these lands as well as impacting wildlife.
Neighbors are fearful that the Assonet River may become contaminated with silt, rock dust and chemical contaminates from blasting. Such contamination would have a detrimental effect on plant life, aquatic life and wildlife along the river.
A copy of CCA's NIOs for compliance with state water quality standards was requested by residents from the Freetown Conservation Commission and was never received. CCA has not informed the public about how they plan to address significant storm events for storm water discharges. Berkley residents hired a hydrologist to review the same hydrology report that was also submitted by CCA to Freetown. This expert found the report to be inadequate and lacking any real hard scientific data to reasonably predict the effect of the operation on wetlands, groundwater and private wells. The this hydrologist also warned that the quarry would act as a giant well, drawing water away from the neighboring private water supply wells.
Blasting can affect water levels in the groundwater and consequently may affect water levels in other nearby surface bodies of water - such as the wetlands, Quaker Brook, the Assonet River and Forge Pond. The land the quarry operation is sited on is part of the Taunton River Watershed and is shown on the Natural Heritage Map to be a location that supports living waters. Blasting conducted on the site has a serious potential to create groundwater contamination.
The operation is close to a bird sanctuary that is part of the environmentally unique Assonet Cedar Swamp as well as several forested conservation properties. The noise, dust and ground vibrations from blasting will greatly diminish public enjoyment of these lands as well as impacting wildlife.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Noise Today
This morning, I tried to go out in the yard to work in my garden. There was a lot of machinery noise from the quarry and the constant sound of the beep, beep alarm from trucks backing up. I was really looking forward to enjoying the peace and quite of my yard and the beauty of my flowers before the day got too hot. Instead, after a shot time, the noise was just too agravating and I gave up and went inside. It's getting hard to be able to relax in my own yard or enjoy my own property any more. If I did that to anyone else the police would come over and make me stop. But when a company makes more noise in a family neighborhood then a person ever could, that's supose to be OK? Most people chose to buy their homes here because it was a quite location - until now.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The Health Issue
Airborne sulfides from quarries are known to cause respiratory ailments such as asthma.
Blasting from quarries is known to cause elevated levels of radon in nearby homes and in groundwater wells. Radon is the second largest cause of lung cancer in the country.
Silica makes up part of the earth's crust. In nature the particles are too large to be easily inhaled. In the quarrying and rock crushing process these silica particles are reduced to microscopic size. These invisible particles are so light they can remain airborne for long periods of time and can travel great distances on the wind. It takes only 1 microscopic silica particle to become lodged in the air sacks of the lung to cause silicosis - an incurable lung disease in which the body continually surrounds the particle with scar tissue, reducing the capacity of the lung. There are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. It can go undetected for 15 to 20 years after exposure.
There are many types of Scoloderma and several different causes, however, silica is a known environmental cause of Scoloderma. Scoloderma is a skin disease. Thickening of the skin, usually beginning on the fingers or the legs, constricting blood flow to the limbs. It can also cause facial scarring. Some forms of Scoloderma can affect internal organs. Scoloderma more commonly affects women and children then it does men. Because children are growing and developing, children who have scoloderma may develop withered limbs or facial disfiguration.
Silica dust is a known Class A carcinogen. It is known to cause lung cancer; COPD; kidney failure; immune system dysfunction diseases; Tuberculosis; heart disease; rheumatoid arthritis and bronchitis.
No prevailing wind studies have been conducted for the Cape Cod Aggregates quarry site in Assonet or the proposed site in Berkley to predict where dust from the quarrying process and rock operation might travel.
Blasting from quarries is known to cause elevated levels of radon in nearby homes and in groundwater wells. Radon is the second largest cause of lung cancer in the country.
Silica makes up part of the earth's crust. In nature the particles are too large to be easily inhaled. In the quarrying and rock crushing process these silica particles are reduced to microscopic size. These invisible particles are so light they can remain airborne for long periods of time and can travel great distances on the wind. It takes only 1 microscopic silica particle to become lodged in the air sacks of the lung to cause silicosis - an incurable lung disease in which the body continually surrounds the particle with scar tissue, reducing the capacity of the lung. There are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. It can go undetected for 15 to 20 years after exposure.
There are many types of Scoloderma and several different causes, however, silica is a known environmental cause of Scoloderma. Scoloderma is a skin disease. Thickening of the skin, usually beginning on the fingers or the legs, constricting blood flow to the limbs. It can also cause facial scarring. Some forms of Scoloderma can affect internal organs. Scoloderma more commonly affects women and children then it does men. Because children are growing and developing, children who have scoloderma may develop withered limbs or facial disfiguration.
Silica dust is a known Class A carcinogen. It is known to cause lung cancer; COPD; kidney failure; immune system dysfunction diseases; Tuberculosis; heart disease; rheumatoid arthritis and bronchitis.
No prevailing wind studies have been conducted for the Cape Cod Aggregates quarry site in Assonet or the proposed site in Berkley to predict where dust from the quarrying process and rock operation might travel.
Haunting for Health
We will be volunteering to take tickets and sell concessions at The Haunted Cornfield at Chamberlain Farms, 12 Friend St. in Berkley on Saturday, October 24th. A protion of the proceeds for that night will go towards our cause. Please come out to the Haunted Cornfield on October 24th. Enjoy some Halloween family fun while supporting a good cause that will assist your own local friends and neighbors.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Trucks
Trucks form quarries cause enormous wear on roads. Large trucks travelling to and from quarry sites loaded down with sand, gravel and rock can weigh 25-100 tons. Each single truck trip is equivalent to thousands of car trips in terms of wear to the road. This means increased costs to the towns for road maintenance. Failing to keep up with repairing damage to the roads can create increased safety risks for motorists.
In addition to the trucks needed to transport the 20,400,000 cubic yards of earth that CCA plans to remove, there will also be additional trucks on site hauling material, trucks that bring explosives to the site, customer trucks picking up materials form the site and other trucks that may be required.
The road on which the site is located is a narrow, small town road lined with family residences. The speed limit is not posted. Residents have already observed trucks traveling down the street at 50 miles an hour in 35 and 25 mile per hour zones. Residents frequently find damage to their yards and tire tracks where trucks swerve off the narrow road onto lawns. There is no curb, no sidewalk, no street lights, n shoulder. Quarry trucks will be sharing these narrow roads with pedestrians, cyclists, school buses and family passenger cars. Many towns with quarries have documented resident complaints about quarry trucks dropping sand, gravel and rocks onto roads, trucks travelling through town uncovered, and trucks spewing dust. Towns with quarries can experience an increase in accidents between trucks and family passenger cars. In addition to serious collations, damages to passenger cars such as dented hoods and broken windshields can result from quarry trucks dropping gravel and rocks onto cars.
In addition to the trucks needed to transport the 20,400,000 cubic yards of earth that CCA plans to remove, there will also be additional trucks on site hauling material, trucks that bring explosives to the site, customer trucks picking up materials form the site and other trucks that may be required.
The road on which the site is located is a narrow, small town road lined with family residences. The speed limit is not posted. Residents have already observed trucks traveling down the street at 50 miles an hour in 35 and 25 mile per hour zones. Residents frequently find damage to their yards and tire tracks where trucks swerve off the narrow road onto lawns. There is no curb, no sidewalk, no street lights, n shoulder. Quarry trucks will be sharing these narrow roads with pedestrians, cyclists, school buses and family passenger cars. Many towns with quarries have documented resident complaints about quarry trucks dropping sand, gravel and rocks onto roads, trucks travelling through town uncovered, and trucks spewing dust. Towns with quarries can experience an increase in accidents between trucks and family passenger cars. In addition to serious collations, damages to passenger cars such as dented hoods and broken windshields can result from quarry trucks dropping gravel and rocks onto cars.
Blasting and Wells
Blasting can contaminate groundwater by releasing explosive residue in the ground and by releasing naturally occurring contaminates like radon and arsenic into groundwater wells through shifts and fissures in bedrock.
The Austinite powder that CCA is using for explosives can contaminate groundwater with nitrate. The immediate health concern is the conversion of nitrate to nitrite in the digestive tract by nitrate reducing bacteria. Nitrite is readily absorbed into the blood where it combines with the hemoglobin that carries oxygen. It forms methemoglobin, which cannot carry oxygen. The reduced oxygen supply to the body tissues causes physical stress. When severe enough, nitrate poisoning is life threatening because of suffocation. This condition is called methemoglobinemia. Pregnant women, those with health infirmities and infants are the most susceptible to nitrate poisoning. Cattle, sheep, goats and horses are more susceptible to nitrate poisoning then people or other animals. Many abuters and neighbors to the CCA quarry Freetown/Berkley property own cattle, sheep, goats and horses.
Radon is a gas that is a natural product of the breakdown of uranium in the soil. Blasting can release radon into the groundwater of nearby wells. The EPA states that using household water containing radon contributes to elevated indoor radon levels in the home. Radon is the second largest cause of lung cancer in the United States. The Center for Disease Control warns that ingesting water contaminated by radon may increase chances of developing lung cancer.
Blasting can release naturally occurring pockets of arsenic into groundwater in private wells. Arsenic is odorless and tasteless. When ingested it causes thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, numbness in the hands and feet, partial paralysis and blindness. High levels of arsenic consumption can cause death. The EPA states that arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver and prostate.
In a meeting with residents in February, CCA refused to place monitoring wells on their property for the neighbors who are down gradient of their site. These residents would be most vulnerable to well contamination. CCA has placed monitoring wells on the Berkley portion of their property which is up gradient of the site. In their presentation to the Berkley Board of Health they asked for a permit for the monitoring wells in order to help them proceed with their plans for bringing the larger portion of the quarry into Berkley.
The Austinite powder that CCA is using for explosives can contaminate groundwater with nitrate. The immediate health concern is the conversion of nitrate to nitrite in the digestive tract by nitrate reducing bacteria. Nitrite is readily absorbed into the blood where it combines with the hemoglobin that carries oxygen. It forms methemoglobin, which cannot carry oxygen. The reduced oxygen supply to the body tissues causes physical stress. When severe enough, nitrate poisoning is life threatening because of suffocation. This condition is called methemoglobinemia. Pregnant women, those with health infirmities and infants are the most susceptible to nitrate poisoning. Cattle, sheep, goats and horses are more susceptible to nitrate poisoning then people or other animals. Many abuters and neighbors to the CCA quarry Freetown/Berkley property own cattle, sheep, goats and horses.
Radon is a gas that is a natural product of the breakdown of uranium in the soil. Blasting can release radon into the groundwater of nearby wells. The EPA states that using household water containing radon contributes to elevated indoor radon levels in the home. Radon is the second largest cause of lung cancer in the United States. The Center for Disease Control warns that ingesting water contaminated by radon may increase chances of developing lung cancer.
Blasting can release naturally occurring pockets of arsenic into groundwater in private wells. Arsenic is odorless and tasteless. When ingested it causes thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, numbness in the hands and feet, partial paralysis and blindness. High levels of arsenic consumption can cause death. The EPA states that arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver and prostate.
In a meeting with residents in February, CCA refused to place monitoring wells on their property for the neighbors who are down gradient of their site. These residents would be most vulnerable to well contamination. CCA has placed monitoring wells on the Berkley portion of their property which is up gradient of the site. In their presentation to the Berkley Board of Health they asked for a permit for the monitoring wells in order to help them proceed with their plans for bringing the larger portion of the quarry into Berkley.
Flyrock Video
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/060109_Neighbors_unhappy_with_blasting_next_door
This is a link to viedo of a flyrock accident at a quarry in West Roxburry, MA. That quarry is owned and operated by Sam Larrouso and Sons, the same owners and opperators of Cape Cod Aggregates - the company trying to start a quarry in our neighborhood. The blasting company that had the accident, A-1 Drilling and Blasting, is the same company currently blasting at the quarry site in Freetown.
Citizens
This is a link to viedo of a flyrock accident at a quarry in West Roxburry, MA. That quarry is owned and operated by Sam Larrouso and Sons, the same owners and opperators of Cape Cod Aggregates - the company trying to start a quarry in our neighborhood. The blasting company that had the accident, A-1 Drilling and Blasting, is the same company currently blasting at the quarry site in Freetown.
Citizens
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Gasses and Contamination from Blasting
According to NIOSH ( National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)blasting at surface mines produces the toxic gases, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), and carbon monoxide (CO). NIOSH states that surface blasting creates enough toxic fumes to have the potential to create hazards. NIOSH recommends monitoring the air and evacuating neighbors if fumes appear. No prevailing wind tests have been conducted for the Cape Cod Aggregates quarry site in Berkley, Freetown. Cape Cod Aggregates has not provided any information on if or how they will monitor the air during blasting. Cape Cod Aggregates has not produced a written plan that would demonstrate how they plan to protect public safety or evacuate in an emergency.
In addition to creating toxic clouds that contaminate the air, blasting gases and residue can also create ground and ground water contamination.
Some of the blasts used in surface mining produce a product cloud colored red or orange by the presence of NO2. NIOSH asserts that in the interest of safety every blaster should assume that any blasting product cloud is unsafe to breathe.
Carbon monoxide may travel up to several hundred feet and collect at toxic levels in the basements of nearby homes. Carbon monoxide is odorless so there is no obvious indication that a hazard exists. There have been thirty-nine suspected or medically verified carbon monoxide poisonings in homes from surface mining operations, with one fatality. According to NIOSH, in one incident in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, blasting fumes traveled 450 feet from a coal strip mine into a home, poisoning a couple and their baby. All three recovered following treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. CO moves through cracks and fissures in the ground. Homes with a French Drain are more likely to create a direct pathway for the fumes to collect. Studies recommend that the blaster place CO monitors in occupied parts of nearby homes and businesses. Berkley residents requested CO monitors from CCA or their blasting company and CCA flatly refused.
Nitrates that are not burned off during the explosion contaminate the ground and can cause contamination of ground water in private wells. Material Data Safety Sheets provided by CCA show that they are using nitro glycerine ignited by ANFO. Nitro glycerine continates nitrates that can easily contaminate the ground and groundwater. Residents depend on private wells as the only source of drinking water. ANFO contains a number of contaminates and can create a toxic orange cloud if ignited incorrectly.
Blasting releases radon gas that exists naturally in the ground. Radon released from blasting collects in the basements of nearby homes. Radon is the second largest cause of lung cancer in the United States. The risk of radon in our area is moderate on a scale of low, moderate, high from information available from the state. While our risk is not high, it is not low. Even in areas with a low risk, high pockets of radon can still exist at specific locations.
In addition to creating toxic clouds that contaminate the air, blasting gases and residue can also create ground and ground water contamination.
Some of the blasts used in surface mining produce a product cloud colored red or orange by the presence of NO2. NIOSH asserts that in the interest of safety every blaster should assume that any blasting product cloud is unsafe to breathe.
Carbon monoxide may travel up to several hundred feet and collect at toxic levels in the basements of nearby homes. Carbon monoxide is odorless so there is no obvious indication that a hazard exists. There have been thirty-nine suspected or medically verified carbon monoxide poisonings in homes from surface mining operations, with one fatality. According to NIOSH, in one incident in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, blasting fumes traveled 450 feet from a coal strip mine into a home, poisoning a couple and their baby. All three recovered following treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. CO moves through cracks and fissures in the ground. Homes with a French Drain are more likely to create a direct pathway for the fumes to collect. Studies recommend that the blaster place CO monitors in occupied parts of nearby homes and businesses. Berkley residents requested CO monitors from CCA or their blasting company and CCA flatly refused.
Nitrates that are not burned off during the explosion contaminate the ground and can cause contamination of ground water in private wells. Material Data Safety Sheets provided by CCA show that they are using nitro glycerine ignited by ANFO. Nitro glycerine continates nitrates that can easily contaminate the ground and groundwater. Residents depend on private wells as the only source of drinking water. ANFO contains a number of contaminates and can create a toxic orange cloud if ignited incorrectly.
Blasting releases radon gas that exists naturally in the ground. Radon released from blasting collects in the basements of nearby homes. Radon is the second largest cause of lung cancer in the United States. The risk of radon in our area is moderate on a scale of low, moderate, high from information available from the state. While our risk is not high, it is not low. Even in areas with a low risk, high pockets of radon can still exist at specific locations.
Flyrock
Flyrock is rock debris that is propelled from the top of the blast hole during an explosion. Flyrock can be small rocks or large boulders. According to NIOSH, flyrock and failure to secure the blasting area dominate blasting-related accidents in mining, especially in surface mining. A report issued by NIOSH states that flyrock and lack of blast area security account for 58.7% to 77.4% of all surface mining blasting injuries. The Cape Cod Aggregate mine will put the neighborhood at risk for flyrock hazards for 30 years. According to the SME Mining Engineering Handbook, flyrock can travel as far as 3,300 feet. Cape Cod Aggregates has only proposed to help homeowners pay for damages if their homes are 500 feet or less from the blast site in Berkley and have made no proposals to pay for any property damages for homeowners in Freetown. Flyrock can occur even when all correct blasting procedures have been followed. Flyrock can and has smashed through roofs, walls, windows and doors of homes and buildings. At the April 7th public meeting of the Soil Board in Berkley, Cape Cod Aggregates representatives admitted they have had flyrock incidents that caused damage to neighbor’s homes. The same quarry owners using the same blasting company - A-1 Drilling and Blasting, had a serious flyrock accident at their site in West Roxburry this June. Flyrock flew 700 feet into neighbors' yards. One rock flew with such force, it broke through a stone wall in a neighbor's yard. Rocks were imbedded into the ground of yards, they landed with such force on impact. One man was on his deck with his grandchildren when their yard and deck were pelted with rocks. It was simply luck that no one was seriously injured in the accident. Flyrock poses a safety threat to the community. It has the potential to cause death and injury to people sheltered inside their homes during a blast.
Raymond, NH Scoundrel’s Salon was pelted with rocks after a blast at Raymond Sand and Gravel. Large rocks shattered windows and doors. Large rocks were embedded in walls. “The rocks came through at the level of my head,” said stylist Cilla Clement on WMUR, Channel 9 News.
Stuarts Draft, VA “Construction Worker Hurt in Blasting Accident Dies” A worker suffered a head injury when other workers were blasting at a Target Distribution Center construction project. A 10 to 15-pound rock propelled by the blast struck the worker who was then taken to an Intensive Care Unit via helicopter. He died the next day after undergoing surgery. Other workers said he ran for cover and was behind a van when the rock struck him, piercing his hard hat. [The Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, VA]
Braintree, MA “Hitting too Close to Home - Rocks from Blasting Rattle Neighbors” Blasting was being done at a cemetery to create more space for graves. Some rocks from the blast flew nearly800 feet, reaching some private property near the cemetery. A rock, the size of a softball, struck the roof of one of the neighbors’ houses. No one was injured. [Patriot Ledger Quincy, MA]
Appalachia, VA “Boy Killed by Flyrock; Va. Residents Cite Flawed Regs” A boulder crashed through a bedroom wall and onto the bed where a 3 year old boy was sleeping. The huge boulder continued its path, crashing through a closet before finally stopping at the foot of an 8-year-old boy’s bed. The 8-year old was fine. The 3-year old was crushed to death. [Washington Post, Jan. 6, 2005]
Why should people in Freetown and Berkley be worried that their personal bodily safety and the safety of their farm and domestic animals, cars and homes be jeopardized by flyrock?
Allowing a quarry to operate in a residential neighborhood puts residents at risk for hazards that did not previously exist. No one should be expected to pay property taxes and live with the potential for rocks to suddenly come crashing through their home.
Raymond, NH Scoundrel’s Salon was pelted with rocks after a blast at Raymond Sand and Gravel. Large rocks shattered windows and doors. Large rocks were embedded in walls. “The rocks came through at the level of my head,” said stylist Cilla Clement on WMUR, Channel 9 News.
Stuarts Draft, VA “Construction Worker Hurt in Blasting Accident Dies” A worker suffered a head injury when other workers were blasting at a Target Distribution Center construction project. A 10 to 15-pound rock propelled by the blast struck the worker who was then taken to an Intensive Care Unit via helicopter. He died the next day after undergoing surgery. Other workers said he ran for cover and was behind a van when the rock struck him, piercing his hard hat. [The Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, VA]
Braintree, MA “Hitting too Close to Home - Rocks from Blasting Rattle Neighbors” Blasting was being done at a cemetery to create more space for graves. Some rocks from the blast flew nearly800 feet, reaching some private property near the cemetery. A rock, the size of a softball, struck the roof of one of the neighbors’ houses. No one was injured. [Patriot Ledger Quincy, MA]
Appalachia, VA “Boy Killed by Flyrock; Va. Residents Cite Flawed Regs” A boulder crashed through a bedroom wall and onto the bed where a 3 year old boy was sleeping. The huge boulder continued its path, crashing through a closet before finally stopping at the foot of an 8-year-old boy’s bed. The 8-year old was fine. The 3-year old was crushed to death. [Washington Post, Jan. 6, 2005]
Why should people in Freetown and Berkley be worried that their personal bodily safety and the safety of their farm and domestic animals, cars and homes be jeopardized by flyrock?
Allowing a quarry to operate in a residential neighborhood puts residents at risk for hazards that did not previously exist. No one should be expected to pay property taxes and live with the potential for rocks to suddenly come crashing through their home.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Crosses the Line
A company named Cape Cod Aggregates wishes to create a quarry that would be 64-69 acres in it's entirety in a residential neighborhood in Berkley/Freetown MA. The town line crosses the street, so a portion (24 acres) of the quarry property is on the Freetown side of the town line and a larger portion of the property (45 acres) is on the Berkley side of the town line. It is one continueous property that is only divided by the town line.
The property in Freetown was zoned as general use and did have a sand and gravel operation there in the past. However, that operation never quarried or used explosives, was only seasonal - did not operate year round - and had not operated for the past 8 years, letting their permits lapse. Freetown has given the company a permit to quarry and has placed very little restrictions on the permit. There is nothing in the permit restricting the company from blasting on weekends or holidays or at times when children are returning home from school. They are currently blasting at a time when most people who work nearby return home for lunch. The company spent about 1 year creating their work site and began blasting this spring. Each blast has shaken our homes, causes loud noise, and makes our windows rattle. Since they began blasting, each blast seems to be getting stronger.
The property in Berkley is zoned as residential. CCA put in a proposal to the Berkley Soil Board last year and withdrew the proposal without prejudice because of public protest. Because they withdrew instead of being voted down, they can re-apply. The company stated at the time they withdrew their proposal that they plan to re-apply in Berkley. We know that they have been working on new plans for the Berkley site and have placed monitoring wells on the Berkley property the help them move forward with their plans for Berkley.
The Berkley property contains Quaker Brook, which feeds into the Assonet River. The Assonet River borders the Freetown property. The Assonet River is a tributary of the Taunton River which has been designated a wild and scenic river. There are several vernal pools on the Berkley property that would be destroyed in creating the quarry. The property provides habitat for a variety of animals and the 45 acres of quarry on the Berkly side of the town line is a large "take" of habitat. There are Eastern Box Turtles (threatened) and Terrapin Turtles (endangered) in the area and on the property. We are concerned that the quarry operation will dry out the wetlands on the property and could contaminate Quaker Brook and/or the Assonet River with silt and rock dust which would have a detrimental effect on wildlife, plant life and aquatic life. Forge Pond borders the property and is a protected Biom. There is also a portion of the Assonet Cedar Swamp across the street (Rt. 79) from the quarry site. This is a unique and protected environment.
The entire area in both Berkley and Freetown is surrounded by residential neighborhoods. In Freetown, family homes are within 500 feet of the site. In Berkly, the company wants to quarry within 100-200 feet of family homes to the rim. A safe distance would be at least 1,000 feet. 100 feet is about the length of 1 school bus.
There is nothing in the Freetown permit to limit how deep the quarry can go. In Berkley the company was proposing to mine 250 feet deep. There are 2 right-of-ways to the property that go right in between family homes. This means the company can drive large trucks and equipment in between family houses.
We feel this project presents a public safety hazard for children and residents. We are concerned about blasting so close to family homes. We are concerned about creating an attractive nuisance where children might injure or kill themselves in the quarry pit. We are concerned about the health effects of this operation on residents and we are concerned for the environment and the character of our communities.
A heavy industrial mining project does not belong next door to residential family neighborhoods on all sides and on an environmentally sensitive piece of property. That crosses the line. Placing such a project in an industrial area or an isolated area would at least meet the needs of both business and residents and create fewer problems for both.
Citizens
The property in Freetown was zoned as general use and did have a sand and gravel operation there in the past. However, that operation never quarried or used explosives, was only seasonal - did not operate year round - and had not operated for the past 8 years, letting their permits lapse. Freetown has given the company a permit to quarry and has placed very little restrictions on the permit. There is nothing in the permit restricting the company from blasting on weekends or holidays or at times when children are returning home from school. They are currently blasting at a time when most people who work nearby return home for lunch. The company spent about 1 year creating their work site and began blasting this spring. Each blast has shaken our homes, causes loud noise, and makes our windows rattle. Since they began blasting, each blast seems to be getting stronger.
The property in Berkley is zoned as residential. CCA put in a proposal to the Berkley Soil Board last year and withdrew the proposal without prejudice because of public protest. Because they withdrew instead of being voted down, they can re-apply. The company stated at the time they withdrew their proposal that they plan to re-apply in Berkley. We know that they have been working on new plans for the Berkley site and have placed monitoring wells on the Berkley property the help them move forward with their plans for Berkley.
The Berkley property contains Quaker Brook, which feeds into the Assonet River. The Assonet River borders the Freetown property. The Assonet River is a tributary of the Taunton River which has been designated a wild and scenic river. There are several vernal pools on the Berkley property that would be destroyed in creating the quarry. The property provides habitat for a variety of animals and the 45 acres of quarry on the Berkly side of the town line is a large "take" of habitat. There are Eastern Box Turtles (threatened) and Terrapin Turtles (endangered) in the area and on the property. We are concerned that the quarry operation will dry out the wetlands on the property and could contaminate Quaker Brook and/or the Assonet River with silt and rock dust which would have a detrimental effect on wildlife, plant life and aquatic life. Forge Pond borders the property and is a protected Biom. There is also a portion of the Assonet Cedar Swamp across the street (Rt. 79) from the quarry site. This is a unique and protected environment.
The entire area in both Berkley and Freetown is surrounded by residential neighborhoods. In Freetown, family homes are within 500 feet of the site. In Berkly, the company wants to quarry within 100-200 feet of family homes to the rim. A safe distance would be at least 1,000 feet. 100 feet is about the length of 1 school bus.
There is nothing in the Freetown permit to limit how deep the quarry can go. In Berkley the company was proposing to mine 250 feet deep. There are 2 right-of-ways to the property that go right in between family homes. This means the company can drive large trucks and equipment in between family houses.
We feel this project presents a public safety hazard for children and residents. We are concerned about blasting so close to family homes. We are concerned about creating an attractive nuisance where children might injure or kill themselves in the quarry pit. We are concerned about the health effects of this operation on residents and we are concerned for the environment and the character of our communities.
A heavy industrial mining project does not belong next door to residential family neighborhoods on all sides and on an environmentally sensitive piece of property. That crosses the line. Placing such a project in an industrial area or an isolated area would at least meet the needs of both business and residents and create fewer problems for both.
Citizens
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