What is next for the Hoover Valley Road rock crusher?
Camp Longhorn, a longstanding Highland Lakes summer camp, is next door to the site of a proposed rock quarry on Hoover Valley Road in Burnet County. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Asphalt Inc., also known as Lone Star Paving, has the greenlight from two state agencies for a proposed, 715-acre rock quarry on Hoover Valley Road in western Burnet County, but it needs more approvals before moving forward. The rock-crushing facility has been a source of angst for area residents since news of plans broke last summer.
The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District, which regulates groundwater use in Burnet County, still must give its OK if the quarry project wants to tap into local aquifers. According to the GCD, Asphalt Inc.’s environmental consultant, Westward Environmental, has contacted the district with preliminary inquiries. The Texas Department of Transportation also must conduct a study on the potential transportation and traffic impacts of a rock crusher in the area.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved an air-quality permit for the quarry on Feb. 14, and the Lower Colorado River Authority granted its own permit on June 18 under the Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance.
The quarry would harvest and process large amounts of aggregate material, about 200 tons per hour at a pace of 2,640 hours per year, according to its TCEQ permit application.
The primary concerns surrounding the quarry are its impact on the nearby Camp Longhorn children’s summer camp, Inks Lake State Park, Longhorn Cavern State Park, and Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery, which are all within 5 miles of the proposed site.
Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District
“No permits have been applied for yet,” reads a statement from CTGCD General Manager Mitchell Sodek to DailyTrib.com. “The consultant is proposing to use groundwater from well(s) drilled into the Hickory Aquifer. The applicant has yet to apply for and drill any test wells.”
Sodek explained that the district would have to issue a permit before the quarry project used or interfered with local groundwater. Before that can happen, a hydrogeologic investigation would have to take place and the district’s Board of Directors would have to consider the potential impact on the wells of neighboring landowners.
“The district has authority to regulate the amount of groundwater use from the facility both from wells and any consumption of groundwater from quarry pits that have encountered the aquifer,” Sodek said. “The district does not have authority to regulate the mining activities, which includes no regulations pertaining to mining into an aquifer.”
The amount of groundwater the quarry seeks to use has not yet been disclosed to the district. This will likely be determined by the results of a hydrogeologic study and the productivity of any wells the quarry intends to use, according to Sodek.
There is currently no timeline in place or set in motion for a groundwater use permit for the quarry.
Texas Department of Transportation
In a response to questions about TxDOT’s role in regulating the quarry from DailyTrib.com, officials sent this in an email on Friday, June 27.
“When TxDOT receives a request for a driveway permit to access the state’s right of way, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation.
“This review considers a range of factors, including environmental impacts, changes to traffic flow, and overall roadway safety.
“Based on the findings, TxDOT may require the applicant to implement mitigation measures or incorporate safety enhancements such as turn lanes, traffic signals, or other improvements.
“We review all requests for driveway permits.”
Community efforts
The grassroots community group Save Burnet has been fighting the quarry from day one.
“It’s just so hard to believe,” Save Burnet member Randy Printz told DailyTrib.com, referring to the two big state permit approvals. “Nobody wants it.”
The TCEQ made its approval despite a significant outcry, receiving 4,000 public comments on the matter. Its own internal review board, the Office of Public Interest Counsel, also recommended overturning the permit approval, but this was ignored by the agency.
The LCRA, which was restricted to assessing potential water run-off impacts, approved its permit on June 18.
“LCRA’s role in evaluating this application was limited to determining whether it met the water quality protection standards set out in the Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance,” reads a statement to DailyTrib.com from the river authority. “After a thorough review of the application, additional information submitted by the applicant in response to staff inquiries and consideration of more than 2,000 comments from members of the public, we have determined the application does meet the applicable requirements in the ordinance and have issued a Quarry/Mine Permit for the proposed facility.”
The statement also made sure to note that if the terms of the permit are not met, the LCRA may revoke the permit if issues are not resolved within 10 days.
“LCRA has been very diligent, but their hands are tied,” Printz said.
Save Burnet is conducting its own research, using six air-quality monitors to establish a baseline particulate count for the area surrounding the proposed quarry site so members have data to compare to if the project comes online. Printz, who lives just down the road from the Asphalt Inc. property, has also started monitoring his well to create a groundwater baseline for any potential future impacts on the local water table.
“We are encouraging everyone to get their wells monitored,” he said.
Driving along Hoover Valley Road, just southeast of Burnet, nearly every property is adorned with signs that voice their strong opposition to the rock quarry.
“If all else fails we will be filing a lawsuit against Asphalt Inc.,” Printz said.