Bill would increase buffer zone between quarries and residences
FROM STAFF REPORTS
A bill filed Nov. 20 aims to double setbacks for aggregate facilities in the state.
Senate Bill 208, filed by Republican state Sen. Donna Campbell, District 25, would increase the current buffer zone of 440 yards between concrete plants or quarries and existing residences, schools, and churches to 880 yards.
According to a media release from Campbell’s office, the bill is a result of discussions with residents in Kendall and Comal counties. District 25 covers Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, and parts of Bexar and Travis counties.
“As a Hill Country resident, I share my neighbors’ deep desire to preserve our natural resources while managing growth vital to the community,” Campbell said in the release. “This bill will add valuable protections for families that will enhance our quality of life and ensure the health and safety of our children.”
The bill is “one of several pieces of legislation” Campbell plans to file during the 86th Texas Legislature “to improve accountability and monitoring of aggregate facilities, concrete plants, and quarries as they operate closer to neighborhoods and schools in unincorporated areas of Texas counties.”
The bill, if passed, only applies to applications for a permit made on or after the date the bill goes into effect. The proposed Spicewood Crushed Stone quarry near Spicewood would not be affected by SB 208. An election for incorporation of the Double Horn community into the city of Double Horn will be held Dec. 6.
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Was the proposed increase in quarry setbacks from 440 yards to 880 yards ever adopted by the state legislature?
This bill only scratches the surface of problems involving granting permits for rock crushers. The guidelines used by TCEQ are outdated. TCEQ doesn’t even do a site visit prior to granting a permit to see what structures may be involved such as schools and hospitals. Also monitoring of these plants is at best rudimentary.