Residents in St. Louis County are fighting a plan to convert an inactive quarry into a large fill site, arguing the project could disrupt the Missouri area for years, according to local news outlet First Alert 4.
County officials have postponed a decision on the proposal after significant public pushback, giving residents more time to raise concerns about truck traffic, noise, and groundwater.
What's happening?
Under the proposal, the quarry in Lemay would operate as a fill site for roughly 10 to 15 years, with activity allowed up to six days a week, First Alert 4 reported. The news outlet said the plan would bring at least 100 dump truck trips to the property on most days if it is approved.
The county says the site would accept only "clean fill," a category that includes uncontaminated soil, rock, sand, and gravel. But the definition could also cover materials such as concrete, asphaltic concrete, cinder blocks, brick, small amounts of wood and metal, and other inert solids approved by Missouri Department of Natural Resources rule or policy, according to First Alert.
Dozens of residents objected during a July 13 hearing before the St. Louis County Planning Commission. After that meeting, the deputy director of the county planning department, taking more time with the proposal, said it would not be decided before at least September.
Why does it matter?
The issue goes well beyond land use. A project of this scale could reshape the neighborhood for more than a decade, bringing constant truck traffic, heavy machinery, dust, and noise to an area that is not currently dealing with that level of industrial activity.
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Lemay resident Katie Copelin expressed that concern during the public hearing.
"Going from no construction dump trucks or heavy compacting machinery in the area to compacting machinery that's going to be running six days a week and possibly 24 hours a day is incredibly disturbing to me," Copelin said, according to First Alert.
Environmental risk has become another flashpoint for residents and officials.
South County Councilman Mike Archer said at the meeting, "My question is, how are you going to ensure that it's going to be clean fill? And if it's not clean fill, then it's going to affect the groundwater, and we have the environmental impacts."
What's being done?
For now, the planning commission has extended its review of the application.
Archer said he is not ready to take a side and wants to review more evidence before deciding how he stands on the project.
"They asked me point blank, how are you going to vote?" Archer said, First Alert reported. "And I said, I don't know yet. Quite truthfully, because I don't have all of the evidence in front of me yet."
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