20111013 Ver 2_Public Comments_20130319

Strickland, Bev
From: Karoly, Cyndi
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2013 11:58 AM
To: Strickland, Bev
Subject: FW: Proposed Vanceboro Quarry of Martin Marietta Materials
From: John Rawlings [ mai Ito: steppajohnCa)embargmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 9:07 AM
To: Karoly, Cyndi
Subject: Proposed Vanceboro Quarry of Martin Marietta Materials
I am writing to you to express my opposition to the above referenced permit of MMM and the conclusions reached by the
CZR memorandum.
Blounts Creek is part or a large estuary that has a very diverse population of wildlife and both fresh and salt water fish. It
is the spawning ground for many salt water fish such as speckled trout, Drum, Striped bass and other species that lay
there eggs in these waters. It has a healthy population of crabs and is visited by dolphin pelicans, cormorants, Anhinga
and other birds that feed on large schools of fish as they make there way up the creek to lay there eggs.
Although there are many conclusions reached by the CZR study that are questionable there are two major points that I
believe are sufficient to deny the permit. First, one of the studies that CZR uses to reach there conclusions that raising the
PH of Blounts Creek would be beneficial to fish is based on a rocky bottom stream in New Hampshire that has no
comparison to Blounts Creek which is a slow moving brackish water way with a mud bottom moving through marsh.
Second, by there own admission CZR states that the the PH of Blounts Creek will be raised from 4.0 -5.5 to 6.3 -6.9. This a
very large change in acidity levels and will forever change the ecosystem of Blounts Creek and mark the end of the vast
diversity of wildlife that call it home. State law precludes changing the nature of an ecosystem, therefore MMM's
statements that they will raise the ph level of the swampy area that the water will first enter makes the proposed water
disposal system illegal & the requested permits should be denied.
Sincerely,
John P. Rawlings
101 Water's Edge Drive
Chocowinity, NC 27817