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Clark residents press council to act on reservoir dredging dust, early-morning truck traffic
Summary
Residents at the May 18 council meeting urged action on dust, noise and early-morning truck activity tied to Union County's reservoir dredging project, citing health and quality-of-life concerns; council and administrators pledged to press the county for stricter dust controls, timing limits and better communication.
Several Clark residents asked the council on May 18 to intervene with Union County over a large reservoir dredging project that neighbors say has generated excessive truck traffic, night/early-morning activity, heavy dust and the removal of trees.
Joe Farrell, a long-time resident, described repeated early-morning truck queuing near his home, dust tracked onto lawns and into houses, and personal health concerns tied to recent chemotherapy and a splenectomy. "I want to know that the air quality is safe for us," Farrell said, and asked whether air-quality testing had been done or planned.
Jerry Kovatch, who said his house sits in "ground zero" near the work, said crews felled hundreds of trees and left a landscape that now stirs continual dust and nuisance noise. He asked the mayor and council to press Union County for clearer plans and mitigation measures including screening berms, silt fencing, and better site security to prevent trespassing.
Council members and Business Administrator Jim Olrich said the county is the project lead but that the township would compile an organized list of resident complaints and press county engineers and contractors for stricter controls. Olrich described current mitigation measures—water trucks and street sweepers—and said he had asked the county about improving practices after residents reported street sweepers not using water when dry conditions create dust. "If there's anything we could do to really prevent them from starting before 7 [a.m.]," a council member said, "we should try to do that." The mayor encouraged residents to document problems and promised follow-up meetings with county representatives.
Residents urged low-cost site changes such as chains or cones to block off construction access points and additional silt fencing between the work and adjacent yards. Council members acknowledged a trade-off: slowing hauling would extend the schedule, but failing to control dust and early starts reduces nearby residents' quality of life.
The council noted that County Manager Ed Oman was the appropriate contact for contractor oversight and asked staff to assemble a consolidated list of issues for the county and to seek an on-site briefing and updated construction schedule.
Next steps recorded in the meeting: township staff will collect resident contacts and complaints, meet with county representatives, and continue to request more frequent on-site water-spraying, added silt fencing and enforcement of start times.
