Brunswick County Board of Adjustment approves second sand mine in Supply with conditions
SUPPLY, N.C. (WWAY) — The Brunswick County Board of Adjustment approved a special use permit Thursday night for a second sand mining pit in Supply, but excavation cannot begin until the existing mine is exhausted.
S&B Sand Mine applied for approval of a Class I mining operation near 1340 Makatoka Road NW. County documents show the mining areas covered by the special use permit are limited to no more than 20 combined acres. Excavation cannot exceed 35 feet, and explosives are prohibited.
The request drew a packed crowd to Thursday night’s Board of Adjustment meeting, where neighbors raised concerns about groundwater, truck traffic and noise associated with the existing operation.
Jeff Clemens, who lives near the mine, said residents have experienced declining water levels and problems with their wells that they believe are connected to the mining operation.
“They want to dig another mine right beside the existing mine that they’re digging now,” Clemens said. “We’ve come to find out we’ve had to refit and re-drill wells all around the mine because we’ve lost our water level compared to what it used to be.”
The Board of Adjustment initially considered the request May 14 but tabled it until September to give the applicant time to provide additional documentation concerning the potential impacts on groundwater.
S&B Sand Mine brought in Eric Lappala, a professional engineer with Eagle Resources, to present a groundwater analysis before the board. The Sept. 1 report, titled “Drawdown Analysis of the Effects of Sand Mining Operations,” evaluated the relationship between the existing and proposed mining operations and eight domestic water supply wells near the site.
Lappala said the analysis used records from nearby private wells, county and state groundwater data, test wells and computer modeling to evaluate the effects of the existing and proposed mines.
The analysis concluded the proposed operation would have a beneficial effect on water levels in nearby water supply wells compared with conditions under the existing mining operation. It also concluded wells north of Fall Swamp are not affected by the mining operation because the swamp acts as a groundwater discharge boundary.
The state mining permit for the existing Clemmons Dirt Pit was transferred to S&B Property Group LLC in August. N.C. Department of Environmental Quality records show the company provided the required financial surety before the permit transfer was approved.
The new operation will also require state approval. County conditions require S&B to obtain an amended or approved mining permit from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and file a copy with Brunswick County before excavation begins.
Under North Carolina law, mining operators must submit an application and reclamation plan to the state before a permit can be issued. State law allows the Department of Environmental Quality to deny a permit if a proposed operation would have unduly adverse effects on potable groundwater supplies or violate groundwater, surface water or air quality standards.
According to information presented at the meeting, the existing sand mine is expected to be exhausted in roughly 18 months to two years.
