Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/548151
State & Province Province NEWS To keep up to date with news from the United States and Canada, visit www.AggMan.com for daily updates. by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com AGGREGATES MANAGER August 2015 6 Indiana Citizens Energy Group announced that it plans to con- vert a former Fishers limestone quarry into a reservoir. The Associated Press reports the project is expected to cost $20 million and provide up to 25 million gallons of water per day to an eight-county area. Set to open in 2020, the reservoir would capture water that is lost over Geist Dam during heavy rains. The utility provider says that studies show central Indiana will need an ad- ditional 50 million to 80 million gallons of water per day to meet growing demand over the next 25 years. Massachusetts At Aggregates Manager's press time, a teenager who fell into an abandoned quarry in Southwick was in critical condition. Ac- cording to MassLive, the 17-year-old fell approximately 100 feet down the quarry face to the fl oor, where he was rescued by fi refi ghters. The teen underwent multiple surgeries for injuries sustained in the fall. Local authorities told the news agency that it was the third time in as many years that fi refi ghters have been called to the quarry to help people injured in falls there. Montana Fireworks ignited a fi re in The Quarry in Helena, the Independent Record reports. A police offi cer responded to a call reporting a fi re at the former quarry, which currently serves as an event venue. He told the newspaper that the site is surrounded by homes and woods, adding to the danger of the fi re set by unidentifi ed youths. Neighbors put out the fi re quickly. Police are seeking leads to identify the persons responsible for the fi re. New Jersey Police in Monroe Township have found and identifi ed the body of a teenager who drowned while swimming in a former quarry. According to NJ.com, the teen was identifi ed as Darius Boyer, an athlete at the local high school. Boyer had been swimming with three others when he disappeared. Swimmers looked for him to no avail. The site, Jackson Road Blue Hole, has pockets of deep, cold water, and has been a popular spot for teens and adults. California Despite a request from Syar Industries, the Napa County Transporta- tion and Planning Agency declined to write a letter of support for the operator's expansion. According to the Napa Valley Register, Syar Industries would like to enlarge its 497-acre quarry by 124 acres and wanted the agency to sign a letter stating that hauling aggregates from out-of-county quarries would signifi cantly increase local road construction costs. The county agency unanimously tabled the letter request. After its meeting, Syar spokesman John Perry told the newspaper that the quarry currently has about a year's worth of rock left for asphalt production, but could remain open for fi ve years, based on the availability of other products. Indiana As Singleton Stone LLC is set to begin development of a quarry in Eagle Creek Township, it faces a unique obstacle: the discovery of human remains that could be as old as 2,000 years. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation and Archeology will continue its investigation of the remains and work to determine their age, origin, and how they came to be on the property. The quarry is considered to be a Section 106 project by the state agency, which requires archaeological review. A spokesman for the quarry's parent company, Rieth-Riley Construction Co., told the newspaper that he could not comment on the discovery and what it might mean for the quarry's timeline, but noted, "The only thing I can say at this point is that proper procedures are being followed." USA Today reported that, if the mummifi ed body leads to the discovery of sacred grounds, use of the quarry will be halted un- til additional rules and restrictions are put in place. Georgia Vulcan Materials Co.'s former Bellwood Quarry in Atlanta — which initially gained fame as it served as the backdrop for scenes from The Walking Dead — will soon become one of the nation's largest reservoirs, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. Following a vote by the Atlanta City Council to approve the $270 million project, the city will bore a fi ve-mile long tunnel from the Chattahoochee River to fi ll the quarry with an estimated 2.5 billion gallons of water. That will create a 30-day raw water supply, ac- cording to Atlanta Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Jo Ann Macrina. Currently, the city has a three-day backup water supply in the event of a drought or an emergency. Once fi lled, the reservoir will be 250- to 300-feet deep. The fi rst phase of construction is scheduled for completion in 18 months.