Jasper Co. advances proposed sand mine; Residents call in state conservation group for help to stop it

JASPER COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - The fight to stop a proposed sand mine in Jasper County hit a speed bump.

It would be off Pine Level Church Road in the Grays community of Jasper County.

From yard signs like this to American flags to seeking help from a state conservation group, people in Grays are trying to find a way to stop the sand mine.

“We don’t want it here,” Grays resident, Adam Bishop said. “I think you can see that the majority of the community doesn’t want it here.”

For the mine to become operational in Grays, it needs the zone it is in to be changed from rural preservation to resource extraction.

The county visited the proposed site a few weeks ago before voting.

They spoke with people there, who fear that the mine could impact the air quality, contaminate or deplete their water supply, add to traffic in the area, and devalue the land that they have lived on for years.

It is an over 250-acre piece of land, where, according to the owner, 58 acres of it will be used for mining and the rest will be a space for rural preservation.

“I didn’t want to be the guy who dug 50 acres on 70.” The owner of the property, Jeff Hiers, said. “I wanted to be the guy that dug 50 on 250.”

The second reading of that change was passed on Monday night to go along with a development agreement.

However, not every council member was on board.

“Every time you chip away at something in a rural preservation area, it just opens the door to more and more,” Jasper County Council Member, Gene Ceccarelli said. “Then it just escalates to a point where everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.”

State Conservation Group Voices Opposition

Before that meeting Monday night, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project, on behalf of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, wrote a letter to the council to voice their opposition against the sand mine.

That letter can be found here.

Silica Dust Concern

One concern most people at the meeting had was about the possibility of silica dust going into the air when they start digging, which can cause breathing problems.

The engineer of the project says that it shouldn’t be a problem with this mine.

“The excavation of the sand clay in its moist state that we’d be extracting and loading into a truck-covered is not going to be a generator of silica dust.”

Buffer and Traffic Help

The property would also have a 1,000-foot buffer from nearby homes, a 300-foot buffer from the roads, and be away from the wetlands on the property.

In addition, to help with the traffic of 75 trucks a day driving down the road, they are going to improve 500 feet of the roadway just outside of the property.

Even with the restrictions and promises in place, people in Grays’ opinion on the project haven’t changed.

“I am still extremely opposed to the sand mine because of multiple problems it will cause to the surrounding properties,” Grays resident, Nancy Weghorst said.

The county still must hear and possibly approve a third reading of the zoning proposal and development agreement.

That vote is expected to take place at an upcoming meeting.