ThePennsylvania state Department of Environmental Protection is reviewing a request for a permit renewal for Silvi Group, based in Warminster, Pennsylvania, to operate the quarry on 241 acres. A decision is expected by the end of 2017, reports Readingeagle.com.
The New Hanover Zoning Hearing Board is expected to render a ruling Sept 7 on Silvi Group's request for a special exception to quarry 25 acres of a separate 82-acre tract off Church and Colflesh roads, Warminster, Pennsylvania.
Philip J Aglino, New Hanover supervisors chairman, said the supervisors' approval is needed before for any quarry operation could begin at either site. He would not speculate on when that might occur.
State Rep. Marcy Toepel, a Gilbertsville-based Republican, said she has been monitoring the situation for years, noting that she has lived 2 miles from the proposed quarry for 14 years.
Toepel said it's possible the zoning board will grant the special exception and the DEP will renew the permit. "As a state official, I am very concerned about this," she said. "It's in a residential setting, and a school is nearby. It's upsetting our residents. They are hardworking people and live in a great community."
Attempts to reach Silvi Group officials for comment were unsuccessful.
The quarry operation would involve digging for rock that would be used in cement for highways and buildings. The operation would include cement mixing and asphalt.
Silvi Concrete, which operates other quarries, recently poured concrete for the W Hotel in Philadelphia.
Christopher P Mullaney, a Red Hill lawyer representing the opposition group, said the primary concern is groundwater contamination. "There are test wells near the quarry where they have found contamination," he said.
