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.

Mr. Turner, retired experienced meteorologist, and now a consultant, continued on the witness stand for Gibraltar Rock. Using slides he Introduced AERMOD, a new air monitoring dispersion model adopted by EPA since the previous ZHB meeting.

Gibraltar Rock will use AERMOD and apply it to their data.

An important document: A145 was presented, a document with changes from A144.  

As a result of using the AERMOD model yet another change was made in the quarry plan of operations map.  Detailed changes included a recommendation to switch locations of the hot asphalt plant and ready-mix concrete plant.  Some of the minor changes proposed by Turner would slightly increase emissions, or so he claimed.  

A reviewer will need to read and study A145 as the material is technical.  In general Turner makes the case that Gibraltar Rock will not give the community unhealthy air.  For example, one conclusion states that background emissions plus quarry emissions for PM 10 is about half the National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 50 micrograms per cubic meter.  Additionally, annual deposition of dust will be about one quarter of the maximum allowed in the PA standards.

Bottom line, Gibraltar Rock will have less particulate than either the National or the state Standard.  So, take a deep breath and enjoy the quarry!

The technical discussion was extensive.  As stated, the reviewer will need A145.

After an extensive discussion of obscure data shared back and forth between Harris and Turner, material critical of GR from O’Brien & Gere was presented and reviewed. Mr. Turner did not think too highly of Gibraltar Rock’s critic.

Toward the end of the meeting Attorney Harris impressed us with the enormity of the scientific enterprise being presented.  If I have it correct (a cross examination is required) it takes 10 computers working 14 hours each to give us the emission data that makes up the substance of Mr. Turner’s report.  We were not told how many programming hours it takes to feed these ten computers, the cost, the processing speeds of the computers or the size of the output data.   

Brandt and team needed more time to review all the material presented. Cross examination will continue at the next meeting on Dec. 1.  

The next GR1 meeting is December 1, 2005.