Enon Sand and Gravel wants to mine about 60 feet deeper on parts of its nearly 400-acre property near Hustead and South Tecumseh roads and Rebert Pike near a waterway, according to a letter from the mineral resources division.
The business applied for a permit modification in November 2016 to mine limestone and merge two existing permits into one.
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This land is near more than 200 homes, Greenon High School and several businesses.
The township trustees became aware of the request at the beginning of March.
Since then, residents and groups have formed to try and stop the permit application from being approved.
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More than 200 residents packed a meeting at Greenon High School at the end of March to protest the pit according to another story by this publication.
They brought up worries about property values, drinking water, insurance, noise and air pollution.
Comments made during that meeting said Kathy Estep, a Mad River Township Trustee, caused the board to have concerns and questions.
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“The model used to determine how much dewatering would occur, we also had questions not just about the quantity of the water, of the ground water but the quality,” Estep said.
The trustee goes on to add they have questions about the blasting too.
Estep said she was told if a government entity applied for an extension it would more than likely be granted.
So, the Mad River Township Trustees submitted an application on Friday, April 7.
She found out April 19, by email, the extension was granted.
The board, groups against the pit and residents like Carolyn Mouzon are happy.
“There are at least 200 families adjoining the property, so that’s a lot of people, that’s a lot of wells,” said Mouzon.
That’s the Enon resident’s biggest concern, her water.
“But once you break into that, you open it up for pollution and underground aquifers can’t be cleaned up once they get polluted ever. It’s difficult if not impossible thing to do,” Mouzon said.
The township, groups and residents are happy about the extension.
They say it gives them a chance to build their case against the pit.
Comments may be mailed to the chief of the ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management at 2045 Morse Road, Building H-2, Columbus, Ohio 43229.
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