by Parker H. Jimison
On Friday, April 26th, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) sent out a letter to Riverside Contracting, Inc stating that they have “extended the review period for an opencut mining permit application for a 74-acre site known as Donnes, located one mile east of Shepherd in Yellowstone County,” for an additional 60 days after receiving a torrent of public comments, both during the meeting two weeks ago at Shepherd High School and via mail and email, revealing significant issues concerning the permit application.
Landowners near the proposed gravel pit are worried about a multitude of problems that could potentially come from having a gravel pit and asphalt plant set up down the road from them. These include both the depletion of wells in the area, due to the proposed depth of the pit being 13 feet lower than the seasonal water table, and the pollution of the area’s ground water, Crooked Creek, and the Yellowstone River itself. This would be a major concern to anyone who owns property North east of the Donnes site, as toxins and chemicals being released as a result of operating a gravel crusher and asphalt plant could potentially make their way into that area’s water supply.
The air surrounding the pit could also potentially be contaminated as an EPA report from December 2000 determined that asphalt plants create “uncontrolled emissions of the criteria pollutants particulate matter and total hydrocarbons and emissions of volatile and semi-volatile organic HAPs including polycyclic organic matter, phenol, benzene, toluene, xylene, ethyl benzene, 2-butanone, cumene, formaldehyde, hexane, isooctane, and others.” The mining and crushing of gravel also exposes anyone living near the area to respirable crystalline silica dust, which can cause serious respiratory diseases especially in children, older adults, and anyone with preexisting respiratory illnesses.
In addition to this, some area residents are worried about the potential that their homes and land could lose a large chunk of their property value if a gravel pit moves into the area. The noise and light pollution, as well as truck traffic, that would accompany this pit have also raised concerns as the DEQ has confirmed that “the permit application proposes mining 24/7” and the permit submitted by Riverside states that they anticipate running the site throughout the night for upcoming night paving jobs. The DEQ has stated that they will be looking into potential ways to provide visual and noise mitigation as allowed by the Open Cut Mining Act as part of the review process.
With the review period being extended, the DEQ now has 60 days to take one of three actions: Approve the permit application; Issue a letter of deficiency; or Extend the review period an additional 30 days. If they choose to extend the review period once more, they must either approve the permit or issue a deficiency letter by the end of that period. Public comments will continue to be accepted until the deadline for the DEQ’s decision on June 25th, 2019.
If you would like to learn more about the issues surrounding the Donnes opencut mine, concerned Shepherd residents have set up the website www.SavingShepherd.org, which has many issues clearly laid out with links to references. Riverside Contracting, Inc has declined to comment on the Donnes Site pending the end of the review period, but the permit application they submitted with the DEQ for the proposed site is available to the public at searchopencutpermits.mt.gov by searching either Site Name: Donnes or Opencut #: 3077.
You can submit any written comments about the proposed gravel pit throughout the review by visiting the deq.mt.gov/Land/opencut. Click the “Public Comment” tab and scroll down to “Public Comment for Riverside Contracting Inc. – Donnes – Opencut #3077.” Comments can also be sent by mail to: DEQ Opencut Mining Section, PO Box 200901, Helena, MT 59620-090.
