External Mining Permit 92-10 My concerns regarding Wake Stone's permit

Johnson, Robert E
From: Henry Harvey <[e-mail]>
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2020 12:15 PM
To: Regan, Michael S
Subject: [External] [Mining Permit 92-10] My concerns regarding Wake Stone's permit
Michaell Regain, Secretary DEQ,
l wish to express my concerns about the proposed expansion of Wake Stone's Tidainglle
Quarry operations Ibordeiring Umstead State Park. l aim opposed to the Ipreseint operation and
any expansion thereof, Iprimarilly at this time for the f6lllowiing ireasoins:
1. PairticUlate air Ipolllution
2. L.ack of airchae6logllcall assessments
3. IL.lilke irubbing salt llin socioecoinomic einviroinimeintall llinjustice wounds of Afdcain Ameidcains'
Reedy Greek Iheiritage
1. Air Polllutioin from Wake Stone Operations & Health
Despite Ilainguage llin past Ipeirmitting documents iregairdlling the cointr6l of fline particle air
polllufioin from the miinlling and trainsport operations ("The (problem of dust formerly common to
quarry operations has Ibeein totally overcome Iby spraylling moving stoine with water"), l have
irepeatedlly observed clouds of dust generated Iby trucks travefing the Wake Stone access
road and Hardsoin Avenue Iby the Tidainglle Quarry entrance. Over the last year or so, the
access road has Ibeein more frequently ((but inot aWays) wetted to reduce dust, (but the stoine
and stoine dust lladein trucks are appaireintly inot adequatelly wetted and at times I've seein
clouds of dust issue from the trucks from whein they turn ointo Harrison Avenue. And that
section of the road and vehicles are the oinlly parts of the huge quarry operation that most
Park visitors see. The Wake Stone operation, which l have inot visited, would show ad6fioinall
dust cointallinimeint issues.
One cain view a YouTube showing the dust generated Iby a (blast at a Wake Stone quarry
Iheire: httr)s://www.voutube.com/watch?v=bwFFD7iGhza
It is inot cre6ble to assume that all this dust stops at the quarry Ibouindairy. PairticUlate Ipollllutioin
uindoubtedlly dii from the Wake Stone site llinto the Park. Particle levels llin the Park depend
1

on quarry operations, wind speed and wind 61rection, aimoing otheir factors. 1But without air
quafity imoii within the Park, nine can oii speculate as to levels of the Quarry's airborne
pairticUlates within the Park
What does the "dust" coii Respirable crystalkkine silica is nine common Ibylproduct of
quarry operations and is a Ikinowin to cause Iluing cairdinogen, sificosis, COPD, and Ikidiney
disease accoird�ling to OSHA. So the Tiriaii Quarry operation is generating Ikinowin toxic dust
which then dii llinto the Park where imainy Ipeople are vigorously exercising (iruinii Ibrlislk
waflking, Ihlilking the Nlllly teiri4lii bilking). Heavy exercise Ilincludes Ibreatlhliing deeply llinto the
�luings, and the daingeirs of liinlh llliin ; fline Ipairticles (PM2.5) are well known. The U.S.
Einviroinimeii Protection Agency (EPA) issues guidaince to avoid exercising or even avoid
speii firine outside duiding high pairticUlate Ipolllution Ipeiriiods (e.g., EPA MrNow). 1But
without cointiii operating air quafity imoii llin the Park, the dose of quarry generated
pairticUlate exposure to Park users is unknown. l don't tNlinlk from a health standpoint that it's
reasonable to imove forward on issulling a Ipeirmit uii the air p6lilutaint levels within Uirnstead
from Ipreseint quarry operations are Ibetteir understood.
2. Need for Archaeological Assessments
l have seen ino reports of airchae6logllcall assessments of the proposed quarry expansion. I
Ikinow that theire is a small Ilalke off the Ibeatein Ipatlh and ii Crabtree Greek that will Ibe
destroyed Iby the project and aim concerned that Ihlistoiricall and airchae6logllcall settlements
existing llin or around that Ilalke will Ibe lost.
3. Saft llin the Wounds of Past Einviroinimeii Socioeconomic Injustices?
Uirnstead State Park and some land formerly Ibelloii to the Park that is inow part of the
proposed quarry expansion, was once segregated llinto two separate parks for use Iby whites
and blacks; the black section ("Reedy Creelk State Park") (belling the southeirin part Ibordeiring
what inow is the Walke Stone quarry. Possibly as a iresullt of disenfranchisement of Nacks
kving on the Reedy Creelk State Park side at the firine, part of that Park was trainsfenred to the
RDUAA llin 1958. It wasn't for ainotheir decade when the Ibllack and white parks were uii as
Uirnstead State Park as we Ikinow it today. 1But, consistent with siting undesirable hindustrl41
operations ii imore socioecoinoimicalkly deprived commuii of the day, Welke Stone's
quarry was approved 15 years Ilateir on a site adj6lii this forimeirly black segregated Iparlk,
just 400 yards from the IpopUlair Ipic6lc and tral!lIhead areas. Today, as we as a society are still
strugglking to understand einviroinimeii socioecoii Iii . ustices, fuirtheir expansion of the

quarry ilin tNis cuftuiraHy and Nist&lcaEly siginllficaint area seems a fuirtlheir liinsullt to the Afr9lcain
Amedcain commu6ity's Iheirlitage.
Thank you for your coin sid eiration of imy concerns.
Heiniry Harvey
piineElas@protoinimal!Lcoim
103 Cuini6linglhaim Ct
Cary, North afro Tina 27511