Owners of a rock quarry south of De Soto got approval to expand mining operations last week, over the objections of neighbors who said the blasting and dust are creeping too close to their homes.
Officials of Martin Marietta, which owns the Sunflower Quarry, maintain they have been good neighbors and have taken pains to limit blasting and inform nearby residents about their operations in western Johnson County.
On Thursday, they asked the Board of County Commissioners for permission to expand their mining area because of increased need for crushed rock in construction projects.
But some members of the rural neighborhood have consistently appealed to county zoning officials and the Board of County Commissioners to deny the request and to restrict allowable operations to stricter setbacks they said were in force since the 1990s.
The Sunflower Quarry has been a fixture just south of De Soto for about 30 years. The first owner, Hunt Midwest, ran it until 2005, when Martin Marietta took over. Neighbors acknowledged that Martin Marietta officials have improved relationships with homeowners, who complained of frequent blasting and dust in the early years.
But just the same, they worried that the latest proposal to expand the mining area opens the door to bringing operations closer to their homes.
“Inch by inch, Martin Marietta has attempted to move closer and closer to neighborhoods,” said Don Flaspohler, who spoke against the expansion at the county commission Thursday.
Company wants to add 40 acres of land to be mined
Sunflower Quarry is a surface rock quarry, and its conditional use permit allows blasting, rock crushing, rock stockpiling and sales. The mine’s total area is 885 acres, but that includes a buffer area that is not mined.
The actual mining area approved under the previous permit, in 2020, was 353 acres, and that permit was up for review this year.
Operators asked to add a 40-acre section of minable land in the northeastern part of their property to meet the fast-growing demand for crushed rock in the area. The mine is just east of the massive Panasonic battery plant construction project, which has spurred other construction in the area as well.
The company also asked for a 10-year permit, rather than a five-year one. The mine owners need that longevity to make decisions on their capital investment, said attorney Greg Musil, their representative at the commission meeting. Musil stressed that the operation would still be accountable through annual reviews.
“A 10-year permit with annual review is the best way to ensure Martin Marietta can run the best quality operation possible,” he said. “This notion that Martin Marietta is in no way accountable if it gets a 10-year permit is simply wrong.”
Residents complain of windows rattling, toxic dust
Neighbors have spoken out against it at a December zoning board meeting as well as to the commissioners.
Blasting is limited to once a day, at a specified time, and meets the county parameters, according to a county fact sheet.
Still, the “window rattling” blast noise and toxic dust clouds should be prohibited from getting closer to homes and a nearby bridle path, the neighbors said.
At the zoning board, some neighbors presented their concerns, saying that the setback distance has been a “moving target.”
“Many of the neighbors surrounding the quarry are angry, disappointed and betrayed,” read a slide from their presentation. They cited setbacks from past years of 600 to 2,000 feet to the north, 1,500 feet to 4,000 feet to the east, and 1,000 feet to the south.
‘Every five years we go through this’
The mining acreage requested this year would bring operations 1,343 feet to the nearest residence on the north, and 1,619 feet to the nearest residence on the east, according to county documents.
That meets or exceeds the current minimum setbacks of 750 feet to the nearest property line and not less than 1,000 feet to the nearest residence, according to county documents, and the area has landscaping and berms to provide buffering.
Resident testimony expressed concern that the setbacks would continue to get incrementally smaller, exposing them to more “carcinogenic dust and frightening blasts.”
“We have tolerated the noise, the blasts, the rumbles, the dust, the seemingly never-ending back-up alarms, the potentially hazardous effect to our health that the mine forces us to live with,” read a slide from their presentation. “We can live with and tolerate each other as long as neither party incrementally attempts to change the rules every five years.”
At the zoning meeting, Flaspohler said, “Every five years we go through this. It seems like the targets change. They move closer. And folks, when people move in, they want to know what the rules are. They want to know what the setbacks are.”
Why commission supported expanding mining operations
County commissioners unanimously approved Martin Marietta’s request, though Commissioner Michael Ashcraft said he was voting yes “with reservation.”
Commissioners pointed out the efforts Martin Marietta has made to keep neighbors informed, including an annual open house and pre-blast survey for property owners who request them.
They also noted the longstanding presence of the quarry and the company’s good record of past compliance.
Commission Chair Mike Kelly said the mine was a “necessary operation,” and “an important component as we continue to grow our county.”
He said he recognizes the impact it has on residents’ quality of life, and noted the standards to which the company is held are strict. The county must find a balance between the quality of life for residents and the company’s right to use its property, he said.
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