Quarry Suspected for Dry Wells

At least 7 wells in Assonet have gone dry, all at once and all at the same time, in the same neighborhood near the quarry.  The wells went dry after a large blast at the CCA quarry on July 9th. They went very suddenly dry - one day water like normal, then the blast, and then the next day no water at all.   The DEP is investigating if the quarry is the cause.  Several other homes near the quarry site are experiencing heavy sedimentation in their wells.  Still others have had items inside their homes fall over and break during a blast, broken windows, basement and foundation cracks, cracks in an in-ground pool and cracks in internal walls.  The quarry, whose operators claim to want to be "good neighbors" have so far refused to reimburse homeowners for damages suffered so far, have refused to replace broken items or windows and have not offered homeowners suffering damages any assistance with repairs.   Homeowners have had to drill down to almost 500 feet to restore their water supply and have spent upwards of $10,000 each of their own money to repair their wells and restore sanitary living conditions to their families. Quarry blasting can close fissures in the bedrock that feed individual wells.

Hearing Continued to Thursday, April 26 at 7pm

     

      Quarry Blasting Permit

    PUBLIC HEARING CONTINUED

                      

                                           Thursday April 26th

7:00 pm

Council on Aging

227 Chace Road, East Freetown

(Next to Freetown Police Station)

In response to litigation filed by local residents, the Freetown Soil Conservation Board held a further public hearing on Cape Cod Aggregates’ request to renew the permit that allows them to blast, remove and process materials at their quarry. 

At the April 2^nd hearing, Cape Cod Aggregates disclosed that they have been violating 8 of the 24 conditions in their current permit and offered for the first time to begin monitoring water at the quarry in an effort to address potential issues about  water supply and quality.

Not everyone was heard and the Board has continued the hearing, providing everyone with an opportunity to tell the Board their story and voice their concerns about the quarry. 

If you have concerns about:

Noise from the Quarry

CCA’s Permit Violations

Water Supply and Quality

Damage to Your Home, Well or Other Property

CCA’s Policy for Compensating You for Damage

CCA’s Failure to Acknowledge Violations at the October Hearing

CCA’s Failure to Propose a Water Monitoring Program Until Now

Then Come and Be Heard on April 26^th

Ask the Board to Reject CCA’s Application or Condition it in ways that Fully Protect the Neighborhood

Support local residents who are suffering!

Court Orders Freetown to Listen

The Freetown Soil Board had a so-called hearing on the CCA quarry permit renewal in October of 2011. They allowed 2 people to speak for 1 minute each. The Chairman of the Board also tried to stop a citizen from recording the hearing. The right to record public meetings is guarenteed by MA State Law. You can see the entire 6 minute meeting on You Tube. The Board then voted by verbal vote to not only renew the permit, but to renew it for 3 years instead of 1 year.

Residents are getting blasting damage to their homes form the quarry blasting. One resident had a broken window. Amother said her in-ground pool is so full of cracks that she can't use it. She now has a foundation crack in her basement and flodding through the crack. She has lived in her home for 27 years and never had any cracks before now. A second resident also has a cracked foundation with basemnt flooding. Two other residents have cracks in interior walls.

Residents are now sueing CCA. As a result of that suit, the court has ordered the Freetown Soil Board to hold a new public hearing because the October hearing was done so poorly. The new hearing will be held on Monday, April 2 at 7:00 pm at the Council on Ageing at 227 Chace Road in East Freetown.

Please come to the hearing and speak out against blasting damage.