Plan for stone quarry near Dunkirk advances

2/15/2003

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued an air permit-to-install and two wastewater permits to National Lime & Stone, which wants to build and operate a quarry on County Road 20 in Blanchard Township, northeast of Dunkirk.

The air permit would allow the company to begin excavation for roads leading to the proposed quarry and remove surface soil. The wastewater permits would let the company build a 5-acre sedimentation pond and discharge up to 700,000 gallons of groundwater and storm water per day.

However, to begin quarry operations, the company also must obtain a second air permit-to-install, and it has not applied for such a permit. In addition, zoning issues that affect the project are tied up in litigation.

A proposed stone quarry near this Hardin County village has property owners worried about the water they drink, the air they breathe, and their quality of life once the blasting begins.

At an Ohio EPA hearing in May, 2000, nearby residents protested the project, arguing that it would cause air, water, and noise pollution.