Neighbors Object to Rock Crushing Operation by Zumwalt
Residents of Ranchland Oaks, Kings Gate, and Bear Spring Ranch subdivisions in Medina County are protesting Henry Zumwalt’s application for a permanent rock crushing operation and quarry next to their homes.
Zumwalt’s construction company has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for permission to operate a limestone quarry, a permanent rock crusher, and a cement factory on land owned by Zumwalt that is located next to 200 homes in the above-listed subdivisions. These permit requests are currently being reviewed by TCEQ.
As reported in a KSAT 12 news report, Zumwalt said he expected some opposition to his quarry, but everything he is doing is legal.
Residents are not excited about having another rock quarry near their homes. There are already nine rock quarries, rock crushers, or cement plants within a 5-mile radius of their homes, according to the president of the Ranchland Oaks Homeowner’s Association, and they don’t need another one. They are urging the TCEQ to deny the permit applications.
The existing quarries already cause enough problems. Some homeowners have had to replace windows and fix foundations damaged because of the frequent rock blasting. Also, there is all the dust that comes with the rock crushing business and the additional truck traffic.
Residents that live near the Vulcan Materials quarry in Helotes have voiced similar complaints in the past.
Most Edwards limestone quarries are outside of any municipal jurisdiction and are not subject to zoning laws that can prohibit incompatible land uses.
The Zumwalt property in question is in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) will be studying potential impacts of this operation on the Edwards Aquifer. Additionally, GEAA is concerned that the TCEQ has inadequate regulations to require reclamation of quarry sites. GEAA staff regularly addresses similar issues associated with quarries throughout the Edwards Region.
The infamous Helotes “mulch” (or brush) fire that burned from late December 2006 until March 2007 was on land right outside of Helotes’ city limits that is owned by Henry Zumwalt. Some feel that Zumwalt’s permit requests should be denied based on his past disregard of TCEQ rules regarding the safe operation of his tree/brush recycling facility which resulted in the smoldering pile of brush and ash that was eight stories high and hundreds of feet long.
To quote Jon Allan, former Mayor of Helotes, commenting on the Helotes mulch/brush fire, “You know, this isn’t just an isolated incident. It’s a symptom. We’re just not doing a very good job protecting the environment in Texas.”
GEAA adds, “Nor is Texas doing a good job of protecting the property rights of individual homeowners such as the residents of Ranchland Oaks, Kings Gate, and Bear Spring Ranch.”
Some of the information above was taken from a GEAA Press Release and a KSAT 12 News Report entitled “Medina Co. Residents Fight Quarry – Proposed Site Owned by Henry Zumwalt.”