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More than 120 people attended a public hearing to oppose a wastewater discharge permit Martin Marietta Materials is looking to renew. 

Martin Marietta has plans to build a 649-acres limestone quarry on Blounts Creek in Vanceboro for the construction industry. The quarry would pump 12 million gallons of fresh water into the creek’s brackish waters daily. According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), an open mine pit at the quarry will collect a mix of wastewater, groundwater and stormwater. The mine pit will need to be dewatered which means to pump water from a mine pit or excavation. 

The permit is issued by NCDEQ under the Division of Water Resources and through a program known as NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) which controls water pollution and tracks control points of pollution. 

“Where appropriate, the NPDES program establishes limits for flow (quantity discharged), conventional pollutants (BOD, pH, TSS, fecal coliform, oil & grease, etc.), toxicants (metals, volatile organics, etc.), and non-conventional pollutants such as ammonia and nutrients.  Delegated states have the authority to establish state water quality standards which can be more stringent than federal standards established by EPA,” the statewide department explains on their website. 

The NPDES for the Vanceboro Quarry was initially issued on July 24, 2013; the renewal application was received from Martin Marietta Materials on Feb. 27, 2018; it expired on Aug. 2018. According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, “because Martin Marietta submitted a timely renewal application, the permit remains in effect…and Martin Marietta is authorized to discharge under the Permit.” 

Local environmental organizations like Sound Rivers and the Southern Environmental Law Center in Chapel Hill say the daily void of 12 million gallons of freshwater could have negative and irreversible impacts on the ecosystem of Blounts Creek. 

“It’s a sin, because Blounts Creek is a brackish water creek. It’s been defined as a spawning and nursery area for saltwater fish, and 80% of the fish caught in that creek are saltwater fish – flounder, trout and puppy drum,” Daw said. He continued to explain that tributaries like Blounts Creek should remain brackish because they help supply saltwater fish that go out to the Pamlico River, and further, the Atlantic Ocean. Populations of saltwater fish, Daw said, are “in decline.”

The “hard iron well water,” Daw described, would change the salinity of Blounts Creek causing “slow, painful deaths” for the present aquatic life. 

Daw is a 25-year resident of Blounts Creek, but has fished the area for 50 years. He is the co-founder of the grassroots Save Blounts Creek movement. 

A battle between Martin Marietta and those interested in protecting Blounts Creek has been waging for more than a decade. In that time, some Blounts Creek residents have either moved away, passed on or no longer have the energy to keep fighting. Daw confessed that he and fellow comrades are “tired.” He is worried about “rallying up all our troops” again for “another battle.” 

Not rallying the troops again is not an option, he continued to say. “There’s too much at stake. So we’ve got to keep beating the drum and trying to beat the wolf back.” 

On the flipside, Daw’s hope in rallying troops has recently renewed with the introduction of new neighbors on the creek. “I look around right across the creek from me in freshwater subdivisions and there’s new people that are more energetic…Four or five folks over there that are exciting me. They are telling me to get up and lick the wounds and let’s go,” he said. “It is refreshing to see the new faces that have joined the battle.” 

DEQ held the public hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at Beaufort County Community College that was attended by 127 people. Now that a public hearing has been held, a 90-day waiting period has begun. Ninety days from now, or Feb. 18, 2025, Martin Marietta and local environmental protection organizations will know whether NCDEQ accepted or rejected the renewal application. 

The Daily News has requested comments from Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. and is waiting for their response. 

One hour before the public hearing began, Sound Rivers held a press conference at the community college. There, several speakers, including Daw, shared their perspectives on the permit. The speakers were: Sound Rivers Executive Director Heather Deck, Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman, Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Blakely Hilderbrand and ECU’s Water Resources Center Lab and Field Manager Bobby Bowser. 

Attendance at the press conference and hearing illustrated how important this cause is to the Blounts Creek community. Members of that community attended the press conference and hearing because they oppose the permit, others like Jim and Judy Himes, were there on Tuesday evening to learn about it. They are the current managers of Cotton Patch Landing. Owned by Outdoor Adventure Retreats, Cotton Patch is a destination for people interested in camping, fishing, and/or boating complete with overnight stays in either a vacation home,  creekside cottages or at the RV campsite. 

The Himes attended Tuesday night to learn about the permit and report what they learned to the owners of Outdoor Adventure Retreats. Should Martin Marietta’s permit renewal be accepted, the Himes are concerned it could affect tourism at Cotton Patch. The freshwater would change the creek’s water quality thereby changing the fishing opportunities because aquatic life would change. 

The Himes have managed Cotton Patch since April 1 and since then “thousands” of guests have visited the retreat last summer, Jim said. 

“If we didn’t have fishing, we wouldn’t have our guests in the campground as well as the (bait and tackle) store,” Judy said. “We want it to be available for our guests. We want our guests to be utilizing something that is going to make great memories for families, for recreation. That’s what we’re after to have that type of experience, but also for the livelihood of the (fishermen) in the area.” 

Jim continued to say that tourism to Cotton Patch and businesses in the surrounding area like restaurants patronized by campers could be “seriously affected” by the permit. 

For more information about the ongoing battle between Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. and those interested in protecting Blounts Creek, visit the Daily News website for complete coverage, https://www.thewashingtondailynews.com/site-search/?q=martin+marietta