Swampscott Quarry Agrees To Limit Blasting

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Aggregate Industries Inc. agreed to limit blasting at its quarry on the Salem-Swampscott line to two times per week. The concession comes after weeks of complaints from residents in Swampscott, Salem and Marblehead and blasts some long-time neighbors described as the worst they had ever felt or heard. Residents from all three communities have filed complaints, saying the problem started to intensify in August.

At the Sept. 24 Swampscott select board meeting, Aggregate said the more intense blasting was temporary. While the quarry, which crosses into a portion of Salem, has been in operation at the site since the 1930s, some long-time residents said blasts on Aug. 14 and 30 and Sept. 16 were the worst they had ever felt or heard. A Salem resident filed a formal complaint about the Sept. 16 blast, which registered a decibel level of 120. State regulations allow blasting decibel levels up to 130.

According to Aggregate Industries, the more intense blasts have come as workers try to reshape the floor of the quarry to reduce flooding. A representative from the company told the selectboard that the process involved downward blasting, which increased vibrations from the typical, mining blasting nearby residents have grown accustomed to since the quarry resumed operations in 2011. The operation has also increased the frequency of blasting.