Commission approves reopening of Broad River quarry with limits on blasting and hours

The Madison County Board of Commissioners voted on Oct. 6 to approve a conditional-use permit allowing Broad River Mining LLC to reopen an aggregate quarry on about 278 acres off Bursley Road, subject to conditions that limit blasting hours and define operating windows.

The board’s approval followed an extensive public hearing in which residents raised noise, truck and water-table concerns and the applicant explained project safeguards and applicable federal and state oversight. Planning and Zoning recommended approval 4–0 with conditions; the commission approved the permit after modifying some recommended language related to rail loading and operating times.

Lucas Vibog, attorney for the applicant, told commissioners that federal and state agencies heavily regulate mining operations, including Mine Safety and Health Administration oversight and state permits for water and discharge. “Federal the federal government, state government heavily, heavily regulates mining operations,” Vibog said, and the company agreed to limit blasting to daytime windows to reduce community disturbance.

Under terms discussed and accepted by the board, blasting will be confined to weekdays in a daytime window (the board discussed a 10 a.m.–4 p.m. window for blasting), primary processing will be limited to daytime and evening hours (the board accepted a 6 a.m.–midnight operating window for processing and plant operations), and rail loadouts will be permitted to operate outside those hours so long as rail activity is limited to rail loading and movement. The board also removed a strict precondition that required a complete rail-spur rehabilitation before any site work could begin; commissioners said requiring the spur to be fully operational before any work would render the project unviable and that CSX had indicated support for the project and for improvements to the existing spur.

Local landowners and neighbors testified at length. Alan Camp, who owns property directly west of the proposed site, asked the board for clearer detail on extraction methods and emphasized concerns about truck traffic on already-deteriorating county roads. “There is a lot of concern about blasts and the trucks,” Camp said. Other neighbors raised concerns about perceived effects on property values, nighttime lighting and the cumulative noise of crushers and conveyors. Mining representatives replied that modern crushers and conveyors produce noise levels comparable to everyday sounds and that regulatory monitoring and best practices would limit environmental impacts.

Commissioners cited the site’s historical use as a quarry, the presence of an existing CSX spur and the county’s need for aggregate for roadwork as factors in their decision. After discussion the board approved the conditional use with the agreed conditions; a formal roll-call tally was not read into the record.

Notes: Planning & Zoning recommended approval 4–0. The board approved the application with conditions limiting blasting windows and defining operating hours; rail loadouts were allowed to operate outside standard hours for train turnarounds.