Hopatcong board approves amended site plan for Weldon Quarry with dust- and noise-control measures

The Hopatcong Land Use Board voted to approve an amended site plan that will relocate the quarry’s secondary and tertiary crushers farther into the pit and install new dust-collection and noise-damping equipment, the board said. The motion to approve passed on a roll-call vote.

The application, presented by counsel for Welding Quarry LLC and company representatives, proposes replacing decades-old crushing and screening equipment with modern enclosed screens, synthetic liners and baghouse-style dust-collection systems. Robert (Bob) Weldon, president of the Weldon Quarry Company, testified the change will keep operations within the existing quarry footprint and move noisy, dust-generating equipment “further back into the quarry,” reducing the equipment’s proximity to nearby homes and the lake.

Board members and the applicant’s witnesses said the upgrades are aimed at safety and efficiency. Richard Blake, identified in the record as president and CEO of Mellott (the equipment provider), described enclosed screens, vacuum-type dust collection and high-pressure atomized sprays at transfer points. Blake said those systems, together with synthetic liners on chutes and conveyors, are expected to reduce noise and dust exposure; the applicant’s materials estimated broad noise reductions in the range of about 40–75 percent depending on location and equipment combination.

The board pressed the applicant for measurable monitoring and maintenance commitments. A member asked whether the project includes built‑in monitoring that would compare pre- and post‑implementation dust levels; witnesses said modeling and engineering analyses would produce more precise numbers and that any specific monitoring plan would be handled by the applicant’s engineers. The company told the board it expects to reduce water usage for dust suppression and to be able to reuse or sell collected fines as filler material for asphalt plants.

Engineer Eric L. Keller of Bowman Consulting Group presented an aerial exhibit showing the proposed crusher relocation of approximately 1,000 feet back into the quarry and explained how topography and rock faces would provide additional shielding from residences and the lake. Keller said the design work was done under his supervision and that the proposed layout stays inside the permitted quarry area.

On hours and production, company testimony said the modern equipment will improve efficiency so the same annual tonnage can be produced in fewer operating hours (witnesses discussed reducing typical operating hours from about 10–11 hours a day to roughly 8.5–9 hours at similar throughput, depending on market demand). The applicant said DEP inspects quarry operations regularly and that routine oversight would continue; witnesses acknowledged a prior 2023 administrative finding at a recycling operation on site and said DEP visits the property quarterly.

After a public comment period that drew no speakers, a motion to approve the amended site plan was made, seconded and approved by roll call. The board did not set a monitoring condition on the record at the time of approval; members indicated they expect engineering details or conditions to be reflected in the final permit documents or memorialized in the permitting/inspection process.

The board’s approval moves the application forward; the applicant and its engineers indicated follow-up coordination with municipal staff and regulatory agencies would occur before construction begins.