Residents living near Lowell, Arkansas, gathered at a meeting on Tuesday to oppose the construction of a nearby quarry, says NwaHomepage.com.
The report says dozens of residents talked about how they plan to ensure that the quarry is not “built in their backyards.”
The Benton county planning board is looking at allowing the quarry to be built on a 135-acre area off of Old Wire Road. Residents are concerned about what they describe as a possibly hazardous construction.
Charles Huebner, a nearby resident, lives next to the sharp quarry and regards himself as an example of how it will change resident’s quality of life.
"Cracked walls, it's caused footing issues that I’ve had to have repaired. The truck traffic is considerable it creates problems for us, not just being able to get around but it has destroyed our roads over and over," Huebner adds.
Property values adjacent to quarries decrease by 30%, according to the US Senate.
The planning commission says those who live near the mine will experience blasting in the area for approximately 25 years.
According to the report, those relying on wells are concerned that mining will take their only source of water.
Resident Alfred Jones, says: "There is no rural water available within a two and a half mile area from all of us.”
"For these people here, they've got an opportunity to say we don't want this quarry and I sure hope somebody listens to them because their lives are going to be severely impaired,” Huebner concludes.
