Bid to expand quarry is questioned

The Aggregate plant at 55 Russell St. has long been a concern for residents of the 500 or so homes that surround the quarry, with issues of heavy truck traffic, rock debris damage, the rumbling of weekly blasts, and the threat to adjacent wetlands.

Aggregate, which owns and operates 38 plants in Massachusetts, agreed in August to pay a $2.75 million fine levied by the US Environmental Protection Agency for stormwater violations. The West Peabody plant was one of 23 sites where violations occurred.

For the past two years, City Council members and representatives of a Committee for the Neighbors of West Peabody have held meetings with Aggregate officials to map out a closure plan. During the talks, Aggregate revealed that it hopes to continue mining across the width of the quarry, as opposed to mining into the hole.

In order to continue mining, Aggregate would have to move an existing asphalt plant further away from the the rim of the quarry. Moving the plant would require a special permit from the city.

The company’s current permit sets a deadline of December for Aggregate to submit a closure plan, even though it could take 30 more years for the plant to close when it reaches its mining limits. Today, the plant has reached its horizontal limit of 53 acres, but it has only reached about half of the 485 feet that it is allowed to mine downward.

“They have a plan to close all the while they have a plan to dig down the road and expand the asphalt plant,’’ said state Representative Ted Speliotis, a Democrat who represents the 13th Essex District, including Ward 6 in West Peabody. “They have a closure plan, but with this closure, there’s no conclusion.’’

All parties agree that discussions for a closure plan have made headway over recent months, and each group is attempting to keep the possibility of an expansion separate.

“In the past, there’s been lots of mistrust between neighbors and the quarry,’’ said Barry Sinewitz, president of the Peabody City Council. He represents Ward 6 and is also chairman of the closure plan committee. “They can’t move the asphalt plant without a special permit. Right now, I’m focused on the closure plan.’’

Rock has been mined at the quarry since the early 1900s, where it once operated as Essex Sand and Gravel, then as Essex Bituminous Corp, later as Bardon Trimount Concrete, and as Aggregate Industries since 1995.

In addition to operating an asphalt plant on the 110-acre West Peabody property, Aggregate produces ready-mix concrete at the same location. Both require the use of crushed stone, which is mined from the quarry.

The company wants to determine how much more could be mined downward, and that same amount could be mined closer to the surface instead, said Scott Colby, regional environment land services manager for Aggregate Industries Northeast. He said mining closer to the surface could be done more quickly because trucks won’t have to travel down into the quarry to collect stone.

Blasting and mining stopped at the plant in November 2008, and the state Department of Environmental Protection will not allow the operation to start back up until a redesign and upgrade of its pumping and discharge system are completed, an upgrade scheduled to be completed next summer, said Colby.

Aggregate had proposed using soils typically found in industrial areas like that found in The Big Dig to fill in the quarry, said Colby. This type of soil, classified as S-3 grade, contains some contaminants. Aggregate proposed lining the bottom of the quarry with clean soil, then using S-3 soil in between, and topping it off with more clean soil. This idea was taken off the table when it was met with strong objections from the city and neighbors.

The committee is now considering a closure plan that would use entirely clean soil or an alternative that would use a combination of clean soil and water, said Colby.

Aggregate recently hired engineering firm Tighe and Bond to guide the group in determining the most appropriate closure plan. The firm has not officially sought approval for moving the asphalt plant.

“This is a topic to be discussed at some point as one of many potential topics with the closure committee, residents, and the city,’’ said Colby. “But if you take rock out and are filling in behind you, you shorten the time. It’s done concurrently rather than consecutively.’’

The Ipswich River Watershed Association does not support an expansion of the asphalt plant at Aggregate. Runoff from plant operations ultimately discharges into Norris Brook, which feeds into the Ipswich River, a drinking water supply for Peabody and 14 neighboring communities, said Kerry Mackin, executive director of the organization.

“The IRWA is wary of an expansion . . . because there has been a history of violations at this site,’’ said Mackin.

Speliotis would like to see state legislation overseeing operations and closures of rock mining plants. Meanwhile, he believes the closure plan committee should consider including terms for moving the asphalt plant within the closure plan itself.

Bella Travaglini can be reached at bellatrav@gmail.com.