By Michelle Bliss
12-22-10 – Martin Marietta's request for a special use permit for its proposed limestone quarry in Maple Hill was turned down last week by the Onslow County Board of Adjustments. The company has less than a month to file an appeal.
James Cornette is a hydro geologist. He served as an expert witness for a concerned property owner at last week's permit review.
He says that fragile livestock waste lagoons could be broached by the operation, perhaps creating a sinkhole. If that happened, Cornette says that up to 16 million gallons of animal waste could be released.
"The 9 million gallons per day that the rock quarry would be pumping would actually draw that contamination into the rock quarry and then immediately discharge it straight into one of the surrounding wetlands. And then this contamination would travel down-creek to where it would eventually intersect the North East Cape Fear River, and from the Cape Fear River straight to the Atlantic Ocean."
The proposed quarry would bring jobs to Onslow county.
Several messages left for Martin Marietta representatives for this story were not returned.