The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) said today that it has refused to approve Wake Stone Corp.’s mining expansion permit for a quarry next to William B. Umstead State Park.
N.C. Sierra Club was among many groups that opposed the quarry's expansion because of the potential damage it could have caused to Umstead State Park, a gem of green in the middle of an increasingly urbanized area between Raleigh, Durham and other Triangle communities.
The undeveloped property on which the mining would have occurred has long been used as a connector between public lands by outdoor enthusiasts, as well as a connector for the Eastern Wildway, a network of wildlife habitat and migration corridors that stretches from Canada through Florida. A lease for the quarry was approved by the Raleigh-Durham Airport (RDU) Authority, even though an offer was made in 2017 to purchase the property for conservation.
Opponents told DEQ in public hearings and written comments that the quarry expansion would create noise, dust, and industrial traffic that could harm air and water quality, and diminish the experiences of the park's many users. Wake Stone could appeal DEQ's decision to deny the permit.
Hwa Huang, chair of the Capital Group of the N.C. Sierra Club, issued the following statement in response to the permit's denial:
"Umstead Park is an oasis for the residents of towns and cities in the Triangle, and we're glad to see it will remain a restful and beautiful refuge for people and wildlife. DEQ's decision will protect Umstead from numerous ill effects of a quarry expansion, such as clear-cutting of forests that buffer the park from highway traffic noise, and decades of noise and dust from blasting explosions and heavy mining equipment. The increased mining would have threatened water quality and aquatic species, as well as other animals that live within and around the park."