<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4YbuUN_1AHy6Y3E00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4YbuUN_1AHy6Y3E00" width="1800" height="1974" ><figcaption>This map shows the location of a proposed rock quarry in the northwest quarter of Section 33 of Eden Township. Concerns have been expressed about the possible effects the quarry operations could have on health, safety and the environment. Source: Pipestone County</figcaption></figure>The Pipestone County Planning Commission, during its March 31 meeting, tabled a request from Wm. D. Scepaniak Inc for a conditional use permit to open a rock quarry on land owned by Robert and Helena Carlson in the northwest quarter of Section 33 of Eden Township, northeast of Jasper.Pipestone County’s zoning ordinance requires a conditional use permit for all open pits and excavations. Jake Scepaniak, one of the owners of the Holdingford-based mining and construction company, said the company’s purchase of the property from the Carlsons is contingent upon it obtaining a permit.The plans call for a 39.5-acre pit site east of 40th Avenue. That’s just under the size that would require an environmental assessment worksheet based on Minnesota Administrative Rules.Planning Commission members asked several questions about the proposed quarry. Scepaniak said the top soil would be stripped off part of the site, and explosives would be used to break apart the rock as needed. The rock would then be processed to make gravel. The plans call for the quarry to eventually be up to 50 feet deep. Berms are planned on the south and east side of the proposed quarry site to block the sight and sound of the operation.Scepaniak said the company would gravel, grade and make repairs to the portion of 40th Avenue where trucks would be traveling from the quarry to County Road 1 to the south. He said chloride would likely be used on the road to control dust.About 12 people attended the public hearing, held to take comments on the proposed quarry and all four of those who spoke expressed opposition to or concern about Wm. D. Scepaniak’s plans. Their concerns primarily centered on potential health, safety and environmental impacts.Vance Walgrave owns land southeast of the Carlsons’ property where there’s an old quarry that his family uses as a recreational pond. He said he’s invested time and money into the pond over the years to clean it and stock it with fish, and was concerned that creating a quarry nearby could drain it.“We’re real concerned that this is going to get sucked dry,” Walgrave said. “If it gets sucked dry — this is what makes that property valuable — it’s going to trash what it’s worth.”As evidence of the legitimacy of that concern, his daughter, Katie Walgrave, presented a geological study of Blue Mounds State Park that was done in 2015 for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that indicates that the Sioux quartzite there extends to the proposed quarry area and that “fractures are conduits (albeit typically poor) for groundwater in wells that penetrate bedrock. Because fractured rock is more easily eroded, fracture trends and distribution have significantly influenced local surface drainage patterns.”She also presented information about the hazards of dust from the mining process, and expressed concern that it could potentially travel long distances and cause negative impacts on health, vegetation, wildlife, soil, and water. She speculated that the project could also diminish property values in the area.Scepaniak said the company follows Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) guidelines regarding dust levels, which are monitored, and could use water to keep dust down if it’s a problem. He said the proposed quarry site was several hundred feet from the Walgraves’ pond, and that it was not expected to affect the water level.“Our intent is definitely to not affect your property whatsoever and not drain your pond,” Scepaniak said. “That is definitely not our goal.”Vance Walgrave asked if Wm. D. Scepaniak would guarantee they’d be taken care of if water was drained from the pond.“We’ll make it right with you,” Scepaniak said. “There’s no doubt.”Steve Everett, who said he grew up just north of the site, expressed concerns about water contamination. He also asked what the company would do with water removed from the quarry. Scepaniak said it would be pumped onto the surrounding land that the company would own. Pipestone County Planning and Zoning Administrator Kyle Krier said the company would have to obtain a permit from the DNR for dewatering.Jo Everett, Steve’s mother, said she lives north of the proposed quarry site, and expressed concerns about truck traffic on 40th Avenue causing dust and making it hazardous for children and people who walk along the road.Planning Commission members discussed the project and their options and voted to table the matter until Tuesday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m., which was after the Pipestone County Star’s deadline, so they could get more information. They requested that Scepaniak present information at that time addressing the concerns about the potential impact on water levels.The Planning Commission makes recommendations to the Pipestone County Commissioners, who make the final decision on conditional use permits. If the Planning Commission made a recommendation on April 7, Krier said he planned to bring it to the County Commissioners’ April 14 meeting.</div></body>

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The Pipestone County Planning Commission, during its March 31 meeting, tabled a request from Wm. D. Scepaniak Inc for a conditional use permit to open a rock quarry on land owned by Robert and Helena Carlson in the northwest quarter of Section 33 of Eden Township, northeast of Jasper. Pipestone...

Objections heard to proposed rock quarry

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The Pipestone County Planning Commission, during its March 31 meeting, tabled a request from Wm. D. Scepaniak Inc for a conditional use permit to open a ro

Objections heard to proposed rock quarry

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