Note: The following is not a verbatim transcript of the Zoning Hearing Board meeting; it is simply one person’s summary of the major points made by those involved in the hearing process.  For that reason, quotation marks are not used unless a direct quote was recorded.  For information about obtaining an official ZHB transcript, contact the New Hanover Township office.

What is GR 2?

Mr. H. Lynn Kemper of Kemper Equipment Co. was on the stand and cross examined.

Some basic data was soon established:

• The quarry operation is designed around a 500 ton per hour crusher.
• An estimate of 5,582 loads of concrete will be shipped from GR per year.
• An estimate of 4,000 loads of asphalt will be shipped from GR per year.
• The plant will have the capacity to stockpile 6 different grades/sizes of marketable rock.
• A smaller less costly crusher could easily meet the projected production of 500,000 tons per year. (tpy)  The plant is over designed.
• Crushers, due to maintenance requirements and inclement weather, operate at 70 to 75% efficiency.
• The projected production of 500,000 tpy will be met with only 1,000 hours of crusher uptime.
• A typical quarry operates for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.

All the necessary data was supplied, but the actual computation was not carried out, for the following scenarios:  A 500 ton per hour crusher X 70% X 12 hours a day X 6 days a week X 50 weeks a year equals 1,260,000 tons per year.  Or, a slightly different scenario of a 500 ton per hour crusher X 75% X 15 hours a day X 52 weeks equals 1, 638,000 tons per year.  

The inference was clear.  Gibraltar Rock is designed a plant with two to three times the stated output as found in their application before DEP.  There seems to be no restrictions or regulations dealing with a quarry operation inching up to more production than originally projected.

As a result of this testimony, some pertinent questions beg for an answer, including:

• Is the traffic data presented by Gibraltar Rock accurate given that the plant has a design capacity for 2 to 3 times the production that is specified in the application?

• Is the dust emissions acknowledged by Gibraltar Rock an accurate description of what is to be expected? 

• Is there a straight line relationship between hours of operations and dust emissions?  That is, if 500,000 ton of rock produces 23 ton of PM 10 per year, will 1,000.000 ton or rock produce 46 tons of PM 10?  If not, why not?

• Are the economic calculations that justify the viability of this project based on 1,000 hours of operation?  Or 2,000 hours, or 3,000 hours?

• Why is there such a glaring discrepancy between the application and the design capacity?

• Will DEP or the community be notified when production begins to exceed the proposed limit of 500,000 tons per year inasmuch as increased production will increase traffic, noise, and emissions?

The next GR 2 meeting is September 16, 2004 at the New Hanover Township Building, 7:00 PM.