19950153 Ver 1_Email_20161012

Strickland, Bev
From: Higgins, Karen
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2016 5:17 PM
To: Zimmerman, Jay; Culpepper, Linda
Cc: Burdette, Jennifer a
Subject: FW: Benson Quarry flooding
Attachments: imagel.JPG; Video.MOV; image2.JPG
Jay and Linda-
I spoke with DEMLR (Judy and Toby), and the plan DEMLR had approved was to repair the dyke between the stream and
the pit and pump the pit, not divert the water into the unfinished diversion channel. We've asked MM to provide some
additional info as to what they're proposing and why(with photos). DEMLR and DWR are working together on this,we'll
have a recommendation to you once both divisions have reviewed the info.
Thanks-
Karen
Karen Higgins
401 & Buffer Permitting Branch Supervisor Division of Water Resources Department of Environmental Quality
919 807-6360 office
[e-mail]
512 N. Salisbury Street, Suite 942-E, Raleigh, NC 27604
1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1617
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed
to third parties.
-----Original Message-----
From: Burdette,Jennifer a
Sent:Tuesday, October 11, 2016 12:08 PM
To: Higgins, Karen <[e-mail]>; Smith, Danny<[e-mail]>
Subject: FW: Benson Quarry flooding
FYI
Jennifer Burdette
401/Buffer Coordinator
Division of Water Resources-401 & Buffer Permitting Branch Department of Environmental Quality
919 807 6364 office
[e-mail]
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1617
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(Physical Address: 512 N. Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC 27604-9th Flr Archdale Bldg—Room 942F)
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed
to third parties.
-----Original Message-----
From: Nuwan Wijesuriya [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2016 12:23 PM
To: [e-mail]
Cc:Arlen Carpenter<[e-mail]>; Bill Allgood <[e-mail]>; Buzz
Crosby<[e-mail]>; Brian North <[e-mail]>; Davis,Tracy
<[e-mail]>; Wehner,Judy<[e-mail]>; Boyer,Janet<[e-mail]>; Butler,
Patrick<[e-mail]>; Bennett, Bradley<bradley.ben [e-mail]>; Burdette,Jennifer a
<[e-mail]>
Subject: Benson Quarry flooding
Samantha,
I am following up with you concerning my voicemail about the flooding at Benson Quarry. The flooding has caused the
water in Stoney Fork to backup and basically find a weak spot in the dike around the quarry pit. This water then
breached the perimeter dike and is now flooding the existing pit. The pit is now 2/3 flooded and continues to increase.
As you can imagine this is an emergency situation and I am sure many places in the State are in the same situation.
Anyway, at this point we need to rebuild the dike to keep the water from coming into the pit before we can even pump
the water out of the pit. This will mean that we need to impact a part of the wetlands that we are already permitted and
approved to mine through. I wanted to let you know as soon as I could but as you can understand this as emergency
situation. I have already informed Land Quality and have been given verbal approval to do whatever we need to get
back to normal operating condition since this an upset condition. We plan to get started later this afternoon on the
grading work. As you can imagine with this much water in the pit it may end being 2 months before the quarry pumped
down depending on the number of diesel pumps that can be rented.
You can reach me at 919-649-9143.
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