Last-Gasp Effort Fails to Stop Controversial Old Hickory Quarry on Air Quality Concerns

OLD HICKORY, TN — The Metro Health Department has signed off on a controversial quarry in Old Hickory, saying that the project meets air-pollution control requirements.

Fighting the quarry on air quality standards was a last-gasp effort for many in the Old Hickory area who have been fighting the quarry for more than two years. Last month, a judge ruled that a Metro Council ordinance designed to quash the quarry did not apply to the project because the landowners had vested property rights. Earlier this summer, the state issued water-quality permits over objections of residents. A law which would have stopped the quarry failed to pass the state legislature.

Early on, opposition to the project was based on dangers blasting at the site on Burnett Road would have to nearby Old Hickory Dam. Rep. Jim Cooper was on the forefront of the charge, though the Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the dam, said blasting posed no threat. And while blasting dangers got most of the attention, residents repeatedly worried about noise, pollution and general disruption of the quality of life in the quaint corner of Davidson County.

Nevertheless, the Public Health Department says that if the quarry's operator — Industrial Land Development — follows certain requirements, there is nothing in the project preventing it moving forward on air quality standards.

"The primary concern is with dust from blasting operations and vehicular traffic. We are requiring the
company to pave key roads, ensure frequent cleaning of roads, and institute appropriate wet
suppression technologies. MPHD will deploy resources needed to ensure adequate monitoring of Air
Pollution related activities in this site during construction and operation. These control measures should
reduce exposures to levels that are not expected to present a significant risk to the public," the report issued Thursday states.

Read the MPHD report here.

Image via Wikimedia user Bidgee, used under Creative Commons