HomeMy WebLinkAbout20111013 Ver 2_Public Comments_20130401 (3)Strickland, Bev
From: Adams, Amy
Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 11:17 AM
To: Karoly, Cyndi; Belnick, Tom
Cc: Stecker, Kathy; Rawls, Paul; Strickland, Bev
Subject: FW: Please help us Save Blonts Creek
Comments for LF
Amy Adams
Regional Office Supervisor
Surface Water Protection Section
NC Division of Water Quality
Washington Regional Office
www.ncwatergualitV.org
252.946.6481
**E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. **
From: Edward Rhine [mailto:edwardrhine(a)yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 11:17 AM
To: Adams, Amy
Cc: Ashley Vansant; billtucker; Bob Boulden; Bob Daw; Buster Thompson; Chris Toppings; david.emmerling(a)ptrf.org;
Gilbert Tripp; Heather Deck; 3ennifer Watkins; 3immy; Larry Payne; Mike Fraley; Phyllis Hazel; Warren Tripp
Subject: Please help us Save Blonts Creek
Dear Ms. Adams,
My name is Edward Rhine and I am a retired Educator. I taught Science for almost 20 years and retired as a
Superintendent of School in upstate New York after 29 years in the Central Office. My wife and I live in Bay
Harbour on Blounts Creek and I have been actively involved with a group of local citizens who are concerned
about the impact the discharge of up to 12,000,000 gallons of water per day by Martin Marietta Mining will be
to the creek. I am not opposed to the mine and the jobs that will come wit it.
Part of my Masters Degree incorporated the study of wetlands ecology and associated animal and plant
species. I studied under Dr. William Neiring, an internationally renowned wetland ecologist from Connecticut
College. One thing that I learned and it was emphasized over and over again was that these ecosystems in
addition to being the most productive systems are also very fragile. Minute changes can and do result in major
changes to the system. What we are looking at in this case is a series of significant changes to pH, salinity,
turbidity and possibly temperature. We can speculate about what the result of any one or all of these changes
will be but I think we all know that there will be changes to the creek. I guess the question is does anyone in a
position to stop this dumping care about the changes that will result. Must we, as we have done many time in
the past, wait until the damage is done and the look to place blame and possibly attempt to restore this natural
resource to its original condition?
Should this company be allowed to waste up to 12,000,000 gallons of water every day when neighboring
growing communities are struggling to provide adequate water? Why would the DWQ allow this? The stated
or implied reason we were given was that the alternative methods of disposal are more costly. It would seem to
me that the additional costs would be passed on to the consumers of this stone. To my knowledge MMM has no
competition in the area. To import stone from hundreds of miles away would surely be more expensive. As a
matter of fact, at the informational meeting MMM held they told us that one of the benefits to the neighboring
communities of having the quarry here would be reduced costs due to not having to truck the stone as far as
they have to currently truck it. The additional costs factor does not hold water ( pun intended).
I am also concerned about the impact all the additional trucks, loaded with tons of stone, will have on our
local roads. This would be another hidden cost to be assumed by the taxpayers, not MMM. I realize this is not
your problem but I think you can see that this is a real problem and a real concern for many of our local
taxpayers.
I join with the almost 1,000 people who have signed our petition asking you to deny this application. Do the
right thing, protect our water and our creek. Profits are important but not at the expense of our natural
resources. We can balance our need for this stone and still preserve this pristine natural resource.
Thank you in advance for you attention and dedication. Having been a public servant myself for 49 years, I
appreciate the competing forces you must contend with and the feeling that you are going to be criticized no
matter what you do. My solution was always the same - I attempted to the best of my ability to "do the right
thing". Please think about this as you consider your response to the application.
Edward V. Rhine, Retired Educator