Bob Daw is passionate about Blounts Creek. Those who receive his weekly fishing reports understand why. Daw regularly shares pictures from one of Beaufort County’s most charming natural resources.

Much like the coolers of the many fishermen who frequent the creek, Daw’s email updates are filled with fish. Behind them are the smiling faces of locals and visitors who enjoy the river for many of the same reasons. It’s a beautiful setting, a great place to spend a brisk morning or a lazy afternoon.

Even if you’re not on his mailing list, you’ve likely seen many of the photos from Daw’s fishing reports under the “Good Sports” heading on the sports pages of the Washington Daily News.

Daw’s love for Blounts Creek — its natural beauty and recreational opportunity — is shared by many. So his is concern for the welfare of the waters in light of a proposed limestone quarry near Blounts Creek in southern Beaufort County.

A well-attended public hearing in March focused on the water discharge plan of Martin Marietta Aggregates, the mining company seeking to build the proposed quarry.

It appears likely Martin Marietta will receive a permit allowing it to dump a 9-million to 12-million-gallon mix of stormwater and water from the mining process into the headwaters of Blounts Creek each day. The extent to which that will change the Blounts Creek that Daw knows and loves remains to be seen.

Daw says he’s not opposed to MMA mining near Blounts Creek; he simply wants to see that its operations have minimal impact on the environment there.

He and others will have another opportunity to weigh in on the proposed construction project later this month.

Another public hearing on water quality is scheduled for July 30. It will focus on a permit request to withdraw as much as 12 million gallons of water per day from the Castle Hayne Aquifer. The plan could affect groundwater levels and nearby wells.

The hearing is set for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Beaufort County Community College’s Building 8 auditorium. Speaker registration and sign in begin at 5 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.ncwater.org/Permits_and_Registration/Capacity_Use/Central_Coastal_Plain/?menu=vanceboro_public_hearing.

 

Ashley Vansant is publisher of the Washington Daily News. He can be reached at 252-946-2144, ext. 224, or ashley.vansant@thewashingtondailynews.com.