Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
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PLANT PROFILE "Summit is about the exact same things we believe in," Shack- elford says. "They're completely onboard with what we've done here and are promoting it nationwide. They're a bigger com- pany, so there are more resources available." Resistance didn't just come from the community, however. "I actually caught a lot of flak in my own industry because I was so proactive in being environmentally aware in dealing with the public and plugging the public into our operation," Shackelford says. "There were old-school people in the industry who thought I was nuts. But the old days of thinking 'it's my property and it's my water and I can do what I want to with it' are gone." Before Summit bought the quarry, it was approached by other companies. "Most of them were all about the money," Shackel- ford says. "They thought we were crazy for doing things the way we were doing them. But when Summit approached us, it was all about what we were doing. Most good companies are now. It will soon be regulated in, if it isn't done voluntarily." Dry dust suppression the community and invited them all to participate in a quarry advisory committee," Shackelford says. "There were maybe half a dozen of them. Two or three said 'no thanks' and went on their way, but the other three or four participated. It has made all the difference, because the conversations are frank and to the point. There are no more rumors. We don't want any secrets from these people. It went well, and they appreciate our honesty." One man in the community started a group called NOPE (Neighbors Organized to Protect the Environment) that fought the quarry for years. But with the open communication, he be- came a friend and is now one of the quarry's biggest advocates. "The neighbors know they can call us if they need anything, if they have questions, or if they want to come out," Shackelford says. "We have a very open-door policy with the community, and I think that's our biggest asset." When the company was sold to Summit Materials in 2011, the neighbors were concerned that the open-door policy might change and that the new owners wouldn't do what KBDJ had been doing to protect the environment, so an open house was held. The whole community was invited to the quarry to meet the new owners. The quarry's location in the central hill country of Texas brings with it the problem of a water supply. The Edwards Aquifer is located underneath the quarry and much of that part of the country, but the aquifer supplies drinking water for most of central Texas. In a typical year, a limited amount of rain falls in the area, and during drought years, especially years like 2011 when Texas experienced one of the worst droughts on record, that water supply must be protected. Knowing this, Shackelford searched for a dry dust-suppression system for the processing plant that would keep dust at a minimum while using little water. "We started looking for dry technology in 2008," Shackelford explains, "and it was implemented in 2010. That was a big point with the neighbors. The rock we're producing dry is cleaner than the rock we've purchased washed from a third-party quarry in San Antonio. It was a challenge to get the technology in place and still meet the permit, but we did it and actually exceeded the permit." The Transpar dry dust suppression system used at the quarry was developed by R. Brunone, Inc. of France. It consists of a sys- tem of sealed conveyors and dust collectors. The sealed dust col- lectors are mounted on top of the conveyors and create negative pressure in the system. The dust is then captured and filtered. The system required a significant investment by KBDJ at the time, but Shackelford believes "dry dust suppression helps protect two natural resources of great value to our neighbors — fresh water and clean air. It's a better way to do it. It's better for the environment. It's better for the drinking water supply. There's nothing negative about it." The primary crusher is enclosed in a building, which helps to AGGREGATES MANAGER July 2012 19