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Home My WebLink About20111013 Ver 1_Public Comments_20120103 (3)RE US Army Corps of Engineers Action ID # SAW 2011 -02235 Mr McMillan Please be advised that we are vehemently against the Department of the Army authorization to Martin Marietta Materials Inc for the development of a 649 -acre open pit mine on the Craven - Beaufort County border in North Carolina We have serious concerns about the environmental impact of this mine We re troubled about the 9 million gallons per day or 3 2 BILLION gallons per year of fresh water that would be discharged into Blounts Creek in the coming years We live on Blounts Creek and recognize that it consists of large areas of estuarine wetlands that are very sensitive to changes in salinity Blounts Creek f low is almost exclusively rainfall supplied In drought years the environment is nearly a true saltwater environment with ,Jellyfish bottle nosed dolphin manatee rays and other saltwater species ,Joining the abundant menhaden sea mullet crab flounder and speckled trout populations In recent years several pods of bottle nosed dolphin have used the remote areas of Blounts Creek to give birth to their young In rainy years it is still somewhat saline This is a diverse and sensitive micro- estuary and changes in salinity make a huge difference in the ecosystem Do not allow Martin Marietta Materials totamper with this natural unique ecosystem Blounts Creek currently has a healthy population of nesting bald eagles that feed on menhaden and mullet The infusion of the huge amounts of proposed fresh water on the creek would effect that delicate balance That result alone would meet the definition and intent of the disturbing the eagle population as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations section 50 part 22 (50CFR22) "Protection of Eagles" which says "Disturb means to agitate or bother a bald or golden eagle to a degree that causes or is likely to cause based on the best scientific information available (1) injury to an eagle (2) a decrease in its productivity by substantially interfering with normal breeding feeding or sheltering behavior or (3) nest abandonment by substantially interfering with normal breeding 11 -1fl1� Stanley and Mary Sheets 105 Waters Edge Dr Chocowmity North Carolina 27817 D December 30 2011 JAN 3 2012 Mr Ian McMillan OU4E R WATER QUALITy BRANCH North Carolina Division of Water Quality 1650 Mail Service Center Raleigh NC 27699 -1650 RE US Army Corps of Engineers Action ID # SAW 2011 -02235 Mr McMillan Please be advised that we are vehemently against the Department of the Army authorization to Martin Marietta Materials Inc for the development of a 649 -acre open pit mine on the Craven - Beaufort County border in North Carolina We have serious concerns about the environmental impact of this mine We re troubled about the 9 million gallons per day or 3 2 BILLION gallons per year of fresh water that would be discharged into Blounts Creek in the coming years We live on Blounts Creek and recognize that it consists of large areas of estuarine wetlands that are very sensitive to changes in salinity Blounts Creek f low is almost exclusively rainfall supplied In drought years the environment is nearly a true saltwater environment with ,Jellyfish bottle nosed dolphin manatee rays and other saltwater species ,Joining the abundant menhaden sea mullet crab flounder and speckled trout populations In recent years several pods of bottle nosed dolphin have used the remote areas of Blounts Creek to give birth to their young In rainy years it is still somewhat saline This is a diverse and sensitive micro- estuary and changes in salinity make a huge difference in the ecosystem Do not allow Martin Marietta Materials totamper with this natural unique ecosystem Blounts Creek currently has a healthy population of nesting bald eagles that feed on menhaden and mullet The infusion of the huge amounts of proposed fresh water on the creek would effect that delicate balance That result alone would meet the definition and intent of the disturbing the eagle population as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations section 50 part 22 (50CFR22) "Protection of Eagles" which says "Disturb means to agitate or bother a bald or golden eagle to a degree that causes or is likely to cause based on the best scientific information available (1) injury to an eagle (2) a decrease in its productivity by substantially interfering with normal breeding feeding or sheltering behavior or (3) nest abandonment by substantially interfering with normal breeding feeding or sheltering behavior " A negative impact on the menhaden or the mullet population will substantially interfere with the normal feeding behavior of these bald eagles Blounts Creek is part of the waters listed on the U S Fish and Wildlife Services map of places the endangered Kemp s Ridley sea turtle is known to or is believed to occur There have been several sightings of this endangered species as far up the river as Bath Creek and Blounts Creek is the next creek up the river Making Blounts Creek into a freshwater creek would interfere with this species using our creek as its habitat A more common visitor to Blounts Creek during the summer is the federally endangered West Indian Manatee They are listed as visitors to our area on the U 5 Fish and Wildlife Services map of places the endangered West Indian Manatee is known to or is believed to occur Several members of our community have spotted them in Blounts Creek What of the recreational crabbing in Blounts Creek and the commercial crabbing in Blounts Bay that extends to the mouth of the creek) 3 2 billion gallons of additional fresh water exiting the creek will negatively impact the crab population We rely on the migration of the crabs upstream each summer According to the Washington Daily News article Martin Marietta Materials Inc filings stated that because of the type of facility proposed and extensive disturbance required the wetland and water impacts are unavoidable' they are listed as visitors to our area on the US Fish and Wildlife Service s map of places the endangered West Indian Manatee is known to or is believed to occur These unavoidable' impacts are simply unacceptable Please help us stop the proposed mine Sincerely Stanley R Sheets Mary Roxanna Sheets