Mader Development is proposing a 9.3 acre rock quarry just west of Kamiak Elementary school. The proposal has passed the environmental checklist, (despite multiple appeals,) and is now in the rezone process. We feel that this residential area MUST NOT BE REZONED AS INDUSTRIAL. The 9.3 acres is not only 1,000 feet from Kamiak Elementary, but it is right in the middle of a large future residential development, and is just west of current residential neighborhoods. It is only 500 feet from multiple other residences with well water that could be compromised by blasting. The City of Pullman must not make this zone change that would endanger so many private residences and Elementary children, especially when a fully functioning rock quarry already exists only 2 miles away.

What Is Happening?

Why We Are Opposed

Fly Rock Danger - As this is the most devastating possible repercussion of the rezone, this is first on our list of concerns. Fly rock, despite the many technologies developed to control it, CANNOT be predictably controlled, even when all permit requirements are followed. This means that when blasting occurs, there is always a chance that a devastating and even deadly piece of rock could move in ANY direction, destroying anything in its path, including possibly, human life. Is this a risk the city of Pullman is willing to take for its residents, including over 400 young elementary students at Kamiak Elementary school? The nearby structures will also be at a constant risk. We don't feel the risk is warranted.

Noise Pollution - Quarry blasting and rock crushing equipment will make noise from 55-90dBA, according to Mader, yet he claims that a sound study with a stereo speaker proved that the noise won't be higher than regular school and traffic noise. A stereo speaker can't imitate the sound or vibrations of a blast from explosives, nor the noise from rock crushing equipment. This noise level is unacceptable next to an elementary school and a residential neighborhood. The city claims that the quarry must stay within Washington state sound limits, but WAC 173-60-050 states that blasting is an exemption from the legal decibel limits in WAC 173-60-040. Therefore, noise from a quarry’s blasts will not be required to be limited in residential or commercial areas. Assumedly this exemption provision exists because it is not possible for blasting to stay within acceptable residential or commercial decibel limits. Therefore the burden to prevent excess noise in residential areas lies upon the zoning committee. Those who do the Pullman zoning must not allow quarry blasting in industrial zoning in the middle of residential neighborhoods, because there is no law that can enforce any sound restraint on the blasting.

Furthermore, the sound from a quarry will be a significant obstacle to learning for children at Kamiak elementary. The construction noise there has already been a major challenge for students, and the noise from a quarry would be an unacceptable and unfair handicap for Kamiak Elementary Students.

Air Pollution - The air pollution from a rock quarry and the crushing of rock will be significant. There has been no inquiry into the possible pollutants released into the air from the blasting of the basalt rock in the proposed quarry. Here is an example of Martin Marietta's Material Data Sheet for Basalt, showing it to be a Category 1A Carcinogen, Category 1 Specific Target Organ Toxicity (STOT) following repeated exposures, Category 1 Eye Damage, and Category 1 Skin Corrosive (Martin Marietta Safety Data Sheet). This S&P 500 company has been forthright in its legally required presentation of the facts surrounding Basalt, and we should require the same transparency and investigation of the Basalt Mader Development proposes to release into our air with their blasting. Even if the Basalt has different chemical components than those described in this SDS, those should be evaluated by a third unbiased party so that we know what Mader plans on putting into our air.

Mader has attempted to downplay the air pollution, claiming it will be no different than general construction. Steve Mader claimed during the SEPA appeal process that air pollution would be minimal because the prevailing wind comes from the Southwest. If the prevailing wind comes from the southwest, then the pollutants will be blown DIRECTLY ONTO KAMIAK ELEMENTARY and surrounding homes east of the quarry site, including the brand new homes yet to be built. But the reality is that neither Mader Development nor the City of Pullman can control the direction of the wind, and the increased air pollution will be impossible to control.

Water Pollution - The quarry site is in a drainage that leads directly to the South Fork of the Palouse River. The possible pollutants that will be exposed with blasting will inevitably flow into the river, polluting the water and damaging wildlife that live in and from the river. Additionally, 3 homes are less than a thousand feet from the quarry site, and all 3 subsist on well water. Not only could the wells be damaged by blasting, but their groundwater could be polluted by the blasting and residual gases and particles that will be displaced in the blasting. Mader admits this is a risk but still presses forward with the quarry proposal. Is putting 20 people's water source at risk, most of them being children, worth having a quarry 2 miles closer?

Quality of Life - The aforementioned pollutants and dangers from the proposed quarry would significantly affect the quality of life for residents near the quarry, and one company should not be allowed to have such a negative impact on so many residents who purchased their homes with an understanding that they were buying in a pristine residential neighborhood overlooking the rolling hills of the Palouse. The abundant wildlife that can be constantly seen will likely disappear if a quarry is in operation in the area. It is unfair to the hundreds of nearby homeowners to change the zoning of their homes and neighborhoods simply to save a multi-million dollar developer money.

Property Value Decrease - Along with the devastation to quality of life, the property value of nearby residents is sure to decrease with a rock quarry in their neighborhood, as evidenced here: "Property values drop when a quarry is built. Over the past twenty years, the evidence is clear. Scientific methods have been developed to account for other factors such as the size and location of the property, the local environment, age of the house etc., so that the effect of property value changes caused only by the quarry can be calculated. The value of property decreases most within the immediate vicinity but will be felt several miles away. Homes within a quarter mile will drop by about 30%. A mile away the value of homes will decrease by about 13%, Home as far as 3 miles away can expect about a 6% drop in value. On average, property within a mile of the quarry will lose about 19% of its value as soon as a quarry begins. For example, a $350,000 home will lose about $67,000 if it is within a mile of the quarry." (Loss in Real Estate Value)

Other Options Exist - Shawnee Rock Quarry is Only 2.2 miles away from the new development Mader is currently planning. This is a viable and reasonable option that can and should be used for Mader's construction needs. In the past Mader has claimed they are trying to decrease traffic on neighborhood roads on Terre View Drive by having a quarry near their construction site. If this was their desire, they could simply finish Mader road to connect to the rock quarry area, a relatively small distance of road that would re-route all their quarry traffic directly to the construction site, bypassing Terre View drive and all residential roads (see map).

SIGN THE PETITION

Signature submission deadline

WEDNESDAY, July 26, 2023 AT 12 PM

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