Kutztown Borough Council opposes the granting of a revised permit for New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co.’s Kutztown Quarry that would increase the amount of permitted mine water discharged into the Sacony Creek.
Kutztown Borough Council passed a motion May 17, sending a letter to the Department of Environmental Protection.
In the letter, Kutztown Borough Council President Kevin Snyder informs the DEP that borough residents expressed concerns regarding proposed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and Mining Permits requested by New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co.
According to the letter, concerns included “water interference with Kutztown’s public water supply wells and groundwater withdrawals exceeding the sub-basin’s recharge capacity during dry periods.”
Specifically, the Kutztown Borough Council letter to the DEP opposes New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co.’s request for an increase in its permitted amount of mine water discharged in the Sacony Creek. The quarry is requesting to increase the gallons of water pumped out per minute from 5,000 gpm (gallons per minute) to 8,000 gpm.
The letter also states council requests a public hearing be held for residents to be informed and to express their concerns. Council requested an extension of the public comment period and requested a written response from the DEP to acknowledge Kutztown Borough’s concerns regarding the permit requests.
“As the sole source of drinking water, our local aquifer supplies the Kutztown Borough, Kutztown University, Maxatawny Township, Lyons Borough and East Penn Manufacturing Corp.,” writes Snyder in the letter to DEP. “Kutztown and the surrounding municipalities are dependent upon this local aquifer for our water.
“The Kutztown Borough Council and our residents recognize the need to protect this sole source aquifer so that we have the water we need. We need you to protect our public health and to preserve our local aquifer for generations to come. We are requesting the Department of Environmental Protection to do the right thing and deny NESL’s request for a revised permit,” writes Snyder. “I would like to stress that the Borough Council opposes the granting of a revised permit for New Enterprise Stone & Lime Company’s Kutztown Quarry.”
Kutztown resident Karen Feridun, formerly a member of Kutztown Borough Environmental Advisory Committee and former chairwoman of the Kutztown Planning Commission, was also concerned with the public participation process.
“The public comment period was nearly over by the time we found out about it. People in the borough and other affected areas had no idea that the revision to the permit had even been proposed and had virtually no time to get educated on the issues,” said Feridun.
“Additionally, something of this magnitude warrants an opportunity for the public to ask questions at a public meeting and express their concerns at a public hearing. Had we let the window close on the comment period, we would have been in a bad position to ask for an extension and the meeting or hearing. We quickly gathered more than 100 signatures on a letter to the DEP. Sen. Judy Schwank also submitted a letter to the DEP. Having done this sort of thing many times, I can tell you that they came back to us in record time giving us everything we requested.”
Feridun asks people to keep watching for the notice that the public meeting and hearing have been scheduled and to attend both.
Kutztown resident Lisa Ladd-Kidder, who formerly served on the Kutztown Environmental Advisory Commission and currently serves on the Kutztown Planning Commission, compiled an online letter to the public and Kutztown Planning Commission on May 29, opposing the permit request and Kutztown Quarry’s desire to expand its operation. To read the letter, visit http://bit.ly/NESLletter.
“As a member of the EAC, I became familiar with some of the different issues involved in protecting and preserving the borough’s water supply,” she said. “I approached the Kutztown Borough Council regarding the proposed expansion of the Kutztown Quarry at their meeting on Feb. 16. When I brought this issue to their attention, I was speaking as a Kutztown resident, rather than as a planning commissioner.”
February and April monthly meetings of the planning commission were cancelled. Ladd-Kidder briefed the planning commission members of her concerns regarding the quarry at their May 2016 meeting.
“The current DEP permit for the Kutztown Quarry allows for the pumping/discharge of water from our local quarry at a maximum rate of 5,000 gallons per minute or 7,200,000 gallons per day. At this rate, the quarry would withdraw 69 percent of available groundwater recharge. New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. has applied for a revision to their DEP Permit, which asks for permission to increase the pumping/discharge of water from our local aquifer to a maximum rate of 8,000 gallons per minute or 11,520,000 gallons per day (an increase of more than 40 percent),” said Ladd-Kidder.
She said that out of concern for the different risks to Kutztown’s water supply and potential negative impacts to the area, Kutztown Borough Council has voted unanimously to oppose the application for a revised DEP permit.
“Some of the risks mentioned were overpumping the aquifer itself (exceeding the aquifer’s recharge capacity), an increase in the number of sinkholes in the area, damaging the aquatic ecosystem of the Saucony by the increased amount of water and amount of pollutants, changing the floodplain of the Kutztown Borough, lowering the water table in the area (private wells going dry), etc.,” she said.
“Now is the time for residents of Kutztown and the surrounding areas to submit comment letters to the DEP stating their concerns and asking for more information. Speak up now for the future of your community!” said Ladd-Kidder.
She asked concerned residents of the area to send comment letters to Michael Menghini, DEP District Mining Manager, 5 W. Laurel Blvd., Pottsville, PA 17901. The mining Permit Nos. 7774SM3C11 and NPDES No. PA 224499 should be included in letters.
The DEP Mining Office in Pottsville will announce the date for the public hearing on this issue. Only a 14-day notice is given.
“Please watch for the announcement of this date and plan to attend the public hearing,” said Ladd-Kidder.
