By Bruce Edwards
Herald Staff
Monday, September 3, 2001
OMYA's proposal to build a quarry in Danby remains a work in progress with no timetable for filing an Act 250 permit application with the state, according to James Reddy, executive vice president of OMYA's North American operations.
Since it was first proposed nearly two years ago, critics have attacked the project, saying the quarry would scar the Danby countryside and place a burden on area roads that were no built to handle heavy truck traffic.
Now, the quarry will have to overcome additional environmental challenges. The state Agency of Natural Resources has identified significant wetlands adjacent to the 26-acre Jobe Phillips quarry site.
Despite those obstacles, OMYA intends to move forward with the quarry and undertake the necessary studies prior to filing for a state land use permit.
I don't foresee that happening. We can overcome the obstacles," said Reddy, when asked last week whether the company might abandon the project.
OMYA has done a study to come up with options to transport the marble ore off the mountain. The impetus for the study was to find alternatives to trucks -- a major concern of opponents.
The company had hoped to complete and make the study public this spring. But Reddy said the company was continuing to look at various options.
"It's going to be a lot longer process than we originally thought," he said, adding that OMYA was attempting to address local concerns.
Although trucks are "always" an option, Reddy said he was looking for "anything but trucks" as an alternative to hauling the ore from the quarry site down to Danby, where ideally the material would be shipped by rail north to the Pittsford plant.
The marble ore is crushed and used in slurry or powder form in the paper, paint and plastics industries.
While declining to release details of the study to date, Reddy said the company has eliminated several transport options, including a ski lift-type tramway, conveyor belt and pneumatic tube systems.
OMYA: Has more permit hurdles
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He said those options were ruled out for either cost or safety reasons.
Reddy said the company is looking at two other "intriguing" options that had not been previously identified. He declined to say what those new alternatives were until the study is completed.
What could prove even more challenging than the transportation problem, however, is the issue of a rare type of wetlands that has been identified on property adjacent to the quarry.
Eric Sorenson, an ecologist with the state Fish and Wildlife Department, said there were 40 acres of wetlands just east of the proposed quarry. Of particular concern, however, are five acres of what are classified as significant fens, or marshes, which are rich in dissolved calcium.
"We're particularly concerned about fens because they are really a very rare type of wetland in Vermont," Sorenson said.
Sorenson said the fens are home to rare plants and animals. In the Danby case, an uncommon sedge and a rare sedge (a small grass-like plant) have been identified along with a species of wood turtle.
If the quarry is built, OMYA will need to pump water out of the bottom of the pit to extract its marble. That in turn, Sorenson said, could threaten the fens.
"As the pit gets deeper, there is the potential to lower the water table in the surrounding areas and if that happens...it could change the amount or quality of the water that is discharged into the fen," he said.
He said OMYA was in the process of designing a ground water hydrology study of the area, which would include the placing of small monitoring wells.
Since the wetlands are on private property, Sorenson said permission of the eight to 10 property owners is necessary to install the wells. He said the wells are actually small PVC pipes that in most cases can be hand-augured into the ground without disturbing the area.
Whether the quarry and the wetlands can co-exist won't be determined until after the study is completed, Sorenson said.
He added that if the quarry is built there will need to be ongoing monitoring of the wetlands.
In some cases, the impact of development on wetlands is mitigated by creating a new wetland in the immediate vicinity. But Sorenson said that would not be possible in the Danby situation.
The fens evolved over 10,000 years ago and cannot be recreated, therefore, mitigation in this instance would require avoiding or minimizing the quarry's impact, he said.
While acknowledging that groundwater is an issue, Reddy expressed confidence that the company would be able to address the wetlands issue.
"I don't think it's that serious an issue," he said. "I believe we can resolve that issue and mitigate or have no significant impact."
The issue is also of concern to nearby homeowners who rely on wells that could be disturbed by the quarry.
As to when the company might submit an Act 250 application, Reddy indicated it won't be any time soon.
"Until I'm comfortable that we have a viable, permitable transportation system, we're not going to submit (an application)."