TV Butte Quarry: Environmental Impact Assessment

Abstract

StoneBroke LLC proposed the development of Old Hazeldell Quarry, a gravel quarry located on TV Butte just outside of Oakridge, Oregon. The City of Oakridge partnered with students from the University of Oregon to preliminarily evaluate and map the potential environmental impacts of the proposed quarry using publicly available ArcGIS data sets. Specific concerns regarding the proposed development include potential impacts to community health and assets, potential water contamination, and potential wildlife disruption. Informed by standard Environmental Impact Assessment strategies, the students completed a series of spatial evaluations as follows: • Social Impacts: Estimated visual impacts and quarry proximity to residential, commercial, and recreational properties within and around Oakridge. • Air Quality Impacts: Estimated spread of fine particulate matter (i.e. dust) from proposed quarry activities, including gravel crushing, driving on unpaved roads, loading and unloading of trucks, and quarrying. • Noise Impacts: Estimated travel distance of noise from proposed quarry activities, including the use of explosives and truck traffic. • Hydrologic Impacts: Estimated impacts to both private and public water sources, including groundwater and surface water quality. • Ecological Impacts: Quarry proximity to ecologically sensitive habitats and species. • Natural Disasters: Estimated interactions between the proposed quarry site and potential natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, and landslides.

Based on the student evaluations completed in this report, the greatest impacts to the Oakridge community anticipated from the presence of the proposed quarry include: • Changes to views of the landscape, which could be seen from all areas of the city; • Potential noise disturbances, as loud as a vacuum, which could be heard in the Mill River Park area; • Disturbance of an existing elk grazing site, though not to prime migratory corridors; and • Potential localized landslides, which impact the historic landfill and could potentially result in new or increased impacted drainage from the historic landfill area (the latter statement is not supported with modeling or sample results).

Further assessment by qualified professionals is recommended to consider the severity of the potential impacts listed above. Additionally, the authors wish to note that sampling of the historic landfill area and establishment of a surface and groundwater monitoring program would aid in building trust between Stonebroke LLC and the community of Oakridge.