Residents press Clay County commissioners over increased blasting, seismograph readings at I Decker Quarry

Residents living near the I Decker Quarry told the Clay County Board of Commissioners that repeated blasting tied to the quarry’s underground operations is shaking houses, producing visible effects inside homes and disrupting daily life.

The matter drew an hour of public comment Thursday from people who said blasts now occur two to three times a day, sometimes as early as 3:45 a.m. and at 8:30 a.m., and that vibration has caused cracking and other physical effects they believe are linked to quarry blasting. They asked the commission for help and for state-level intervention.

The dispute centers on an operation that began aboveground in 2013 and shifted to underground excavation in 2024. Neighbors told the commission they have recorded video and sought seismograph readings; I Decker representatives said they have installed and continue to operate independent monitoring and that state and federal inspectors found no violations.

Residents’ accounts and what they asked the commission to do

Neighbors, including Nathaniel Beagley, Chris McClaskey, David McClaskey, Dave Thomas and Pam Smith, described frequent blasts, dust from heavy truck traffic on Cameron Road, and unsafe driving by quarry trucks around the Highway 69 intersection. Several residents said the blasts “shake” houses and provided anecdotal demonstrations — for example, ripples forming in a bowl of water placed on a dining table during a blast.

“It's shaking my whole entire house,” said Nathaniel Beagley, who said he pays Clay County taxes and has video footage he intends to share with county staff. Chris McClaskey told commissioners that businesses considering locating nearby have backed out because sensitive electronic equipment can be affected by seismic events. David McClaskey said a seismograph that was placed near his home appeared to be intentionally located to reduce…