Jumpoff Quarry Concerns: ‘Irreversible Harm’
by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer
“TDEC is about to cause irreversible harm,” said Jumpoff resident Ed Routon at the Jan. 16 virtual public hearing for comments on Tinsley Sand and Gravel, LLC’s request for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from the Tennessee Division of Mining and Geological Resources (DMGR). Threats to groundwater and wells, endangered aquatic life, and inadequate monitoring topped the list of concerns expressed by area residents about the proposed quarry on Hwy. 156, in Sewanee. The hearing opened with an information video explaining how the quarry intended to minimize discharge of pollutants into Jumpoff Creek and how DMGR would monitor the discharge. In the Q&A and comment period that followed, area residents took issue with both.
If granted, the processing permit would only allow discharge below the threshold of de minimis degradation for a watershed with exceptional biological diversity, as is the case with Jumpoff Creek. Most of the 774-acre watershed is downstream from the 79.4-acre site. The quarry’s processing plan calls for using recycled rainwater for dust suppression and for confining the recycled wastewater and stormwater in sediment retention ponds. Stormwater not diverted to a pond will be discharged at designated discharge points. The permit requires twice monthly sampling of discharge by the operator, Tinsley, and quarterly reporting. The Knoxville field office will inspect the quarry at their discretion. The Tennessee Division of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) will establish two monitoring sites off the quarry property, one just past the boundary and the other 0.3 miles downstream.
Responding to a question about the frequency of monitoring at the downstream sites, Program Manager Daniel Lawrence acknowledged the sites were sampled on a five-year cycle, and there was no permanent equipment in place. However, an investigation would follow within 10 days of a complaint. “We’d love downstream flow monitors, but with 18,000 sites, TDEC doesn’t have the budget,” Lawrence said. “The primary information is from sampling events at the quarry.”
“An event [with negative impact on the watershed] can be gone in 24 hours,” objected area resident Shari Lydy. “There should be monitors with real time data.”
“In heavy rains particulate could flow into the creek and asphyxiate aquatic life immediately,” resident Em Chitty pointed out. “The damage would be done.”
Others questioned relying on self-reporting by the operator, Tinsley. “You can’t expect people to turn themselves in,” observed Jumpoff resident Robin Gottfried.
Lydy also called attention to the subterranean flow linked to Jumpoff Creek and the potential impact on groundwater. “Sediment basins have a known track record of failure,” Lydy stressed. She argued the hydrological studies done were inadequate and failed to use dye tracing to track the underground flow in the Jumpoff watershed.
Chitty maintained given the permeability of the karst subsurface features, particulate could infiltrate the subsurface watershed and negatively impact water quality in the drinking water wells relied on by many Jumpoff residents.
Resident Cliff Huffman questioned the feasibility of the quarry relying on rainwater. Even in wet years his pond dropped a foot in the summer, Huffman said. Resident Anne Camp pointed out the local water utility likely lacked sufficient resources to supply the site with water. If there was insufficient rainfall, would the quarry draw water from the creek? Camp asked. Drawing water from the creek would require a separate permit according to Lawrence.
Huffman also expressed concern about the negative environmental impact years in the future after the quarry closed and silicate sediment had collected in the basins. “It’s not a well thought out plan,” Chitty insisted.
In November, the DMGR held a live hearing at the Princess Theater in South Pittsburg. DMGR will receive comments until Jan. 27 at <DMGR.Publicnotice@tn.gov> or by postal mail at TDEC Mining Section, 3711 Middlebrook Heights, Knoxville, TN 37921. The agency is authorized to approve the permit, deny the permit, modify the permit, or ask for more information.
“Just say, ‘no’,” said Jumpoff resident Buren Beavers. “I can’t believe you would let them desecrate this place.”