Unity residents voice concerns with planned blasting at Whitney Quarry

Unity residents who live near the shuttered Whitney Quarry are worried their homes and water wells could be damaged when blasting occurs at the site this spring, and they tried Thursday to pin down the expected frequency of the blasts at a meeting with officials of the Connellsville-based operator, Hanson Aggregates.

Ronald Kurpiel, the company's general manager for Western Pennsylvania, told more than 40 residents who attended the session at the township municipal building that surface blasting might occur “a couple times a week” as part of the company's effort to reclaim the underground limestone quarry that partially collapsed in April 2015, injuring three workers outside the entrance.

He said the company doesn't yet know to what extent blasting will be needed to stabilize the quarry's highwall, backfill the pit and create a new, sloped surface contour.

Several nearby residents complained that their properties were affected by blasting at the quarry in the past, including when it was run by a different operator.

“My home shook and my plaster cracked,” said Bonnie Shawley, whose 100-acre farm along American Legion Road overlooks the quarry. Shawley expressed relief that more frequent blasting isn't planned but asked if Hanson would test her well and provide a guarantee against loss of her water.

Project engineer Steven Hinderliter of CME Engineering in Greensburg noted the state Department of Environmental Protection requires that water supplies be tested only within 1,000 feet of the quarry permit area. He explained Hanson would be presumed responsible for any loss of water quality or quantity within that radius, but a DEP investigation would be needed to assign responsibility for any water problems experienced on other nearby properties.

Hanson officials noted they offered to test water at homes along Piper Gross Road that are closest to the quarry.

Hinderliter pointed out that the blasts planned to help reclaim the mine would not be as strong as those that might be used in production at a quarry, breaking up stone into sizes that could be sold.

Township solicitor Gary Falatovich suggested residents near the quarry who aren't offered pre-blast testing by Hanson should consider getting it completed independently. Hinderliter indicated a test measuring water flow as well as quality could cost several hundred dollars.

Township supervisor Michael O'Barto said he would check to see if funding assistance is available for homeowners who might not be able to afford the testing.

Several nearby residents said for the past year and half that the mine has not been operating they've been freed from concerns about related truck traffic on nearby roads. Carol Petrusky, who lives on Quarry Road near the mine entrance, said she'd been disturbed in early morning hours by quarry trucks using noisy jake brakes.

Kurpiel said the company plans to keep residents updated on the project.

“We've got to do the right thing by you folks, and we're going to try,” he said.

If Hanson's plans pan out, full quarry operations will return to the area. Allan Percha, the company's environmental and permit manager, said Hanson hopes to develop a new underground quarry entrance near its existing processing plant and dig underneath Quarry Road to develop a new Whitney North quarry in 50 acres it has optioned on the north side of the road. It could take several years for those plans to come to fruition.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622 or jhimler@tribweb.com.