The North Carolina Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources (DEMLR) has issued a mining permit for Alamance Aggregates LLC to operate a mine in Snow Camp, NC. Following DEMLR’s review of input from the public, the final permit includes additional control measures to safeguard public health and the environment.
To address community concerns regarding the effect of the operation on surrounding groundwater wells, monitoring for groundwater quantity and quality has been incorporated into the permit conditions. To address concerns about blasting operations near the Colonial Pipeline easement, the permit includes added restrictions on blasting distance to the pipeline, limits to ground vibration, required seismograph monitoring locations, and a notice of blasting to Colonial Pipeline and DEMLR to mitigate these hazards.
In addition, a detailed sediment and erosion control plan has been developed for this site to protect the surrounding environment and to address concerns that possible substantial sediment deposits in stream beds or lakes, landslides, or acid water pollution will result from this mine. Also, specific buffer zones, safety benches, and cut/fill slopes have been incorporated to ensure protection against landslides.
The staff of the DEMLR Mining Program and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regional office reviewed the permit application, submitted on September 28, 2018, and all supplemental information filed after the initial application. The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Division of Archives and History and Division of Parks and Recreation, the DEQ Division of Water Resources and Division of Air Quality, and the staff of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) were also provided the opportunity to comment on the proposal.
In addition to the governmental agency input noted above, a public hearing was held on the proposal on December 5, 2018, at the Sylvan Elementary School in Alamance County. The final mining permit incorporates the input from the public and governmental agencies.
To see the final permit here and other related documents, visit the DEQ website.
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