The permit that would allow up to 12 million gallons of water per day to be withdrawn from the aquifer some Beaufort County well-owners rely on for water has been granted to Martin Marietta Materials Inc.

The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources released a statement Friday that the permit was issued the same day to the company for its proposed mining operation in southern Beaufort County. Martin Marietta is the nation’s second-largest producer of construction aggregates used primarily to build highways and other infrastructure projects.

“The issue of the permit was not unexpected,” said Pamlico-Tar River Foundation’s Riverkeeper Heather Jacobs Deck.

PTRF and residents who stand to be affected by the withdrawal registered their concerns with the state in July, at a public hearing held at Beaufort County Community College. More than 100 people attended, many of them well owners within the proposed quarry’s “zone of influence.” Many questioned the methods and timeliness by which Martin Marietta will be required to resolve issues brought about by the expected water-table drop once mining operations begin.

According to the press release, the division made some changes to the water-withdrawal permit based on the comments received at the public hearing and during the public-comment period. Changes include a specific timeline for Martin Marietta to follow up with groundwater-well complaints in the area, as well as the submittal of a map of the zone of influence on an annual basis.

“That at least is somewhat responsive to what we said (in PTRF’s comments),” Deck said, who clarified that she hadn’t the opportunity to review the permit.

A water-withdrawal permit was required because Martin Marietta’s quarry will be located in the Central Coastal Plain Capacity Use Area, a 15-county region in eastern North Carolina created in 2002 to address the depletion and overuse of groundwater. Any entity withdrawing more than 100,000 gallons of groundwater per day must obtain a permit, according to the press release.

But it is the National Pollution Discharge Elimination Systems permit issued by the state in July that has spurred PTRF, along with the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the Southern Environmental Law Center, to file a legal challenge to its issuance. That 12 million gallons per day pumped from the Castle Hayne aquifer, and used in the mining process, is slated to be discharged into the headwaters of Blounts Creek — brackish water that is a state-designated primary nursery area for many saltwater species. PTRF and others argue that the potential change in pH would not only adversely affect the aquatic habitat and its species, but it is a violation of state law. The case is expected to be heard in the spring.

Those in the zone of influence and people concerned that their private drinking-water wells will be affected by the operations of the 649-acre mine can register their wells on the NCDENR website at http://www.ncwater.org/CCPCUA, according to the release. Other documents related to the water-withdrawal permitting process can be viewed there as well.