sand mine – the Town of Dorchester SC

November 11, 2024

Join Us: Dorchester’s Zoning Amendment Meeting on November 14

Resource Extraction Areas 2.5 Mile Buffer

This Thursday, November 14, The Commission will meet at 4:00 PM. Meetings are held in the Summerville County Council Chambers at 500 N. Main Street (Cedar St. Entrance). Here is the link to the Planning Commission November Meeting Agenda Packet: https://www.dorchestercountysc.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/25045/638666671247439337

Of interest for this meeting to the community of the Town of Dorchester is Agenda Item 6 (Old Business) A. ZTA 24-07: Text Amendment to the Dorchester County Zoning and Land Development Standards Ordinance Number 04-13, as previously amended, with respect to Article X, Section 10.4.11 “Mineral Resource Extraction Operations” for the purpose of limiting the proximity of new mineral resource extraction operations from existing permitted operations.

The intent of the ordinance text amendment is to limit the mining density in our county. The amendment is modeled after a successful similar ordinance amendment in Charleston County. Page 21 of the agenda packet shows the existing mines and the proposed buffer around them. Page 22 of the agenda packet includes a rather long Pro-mining letter opposing the ordinance change.

I believe that for our community, this proposed amendment to the ordinance is a positive step. It aims to control some of the sand mine truck traffic pummeling us in our area.

This is an open public meeting that includes public feedback and comments. Please plan to attend and make your voices heard for a positive change.

November 5, 2024November 5, 2024

Notes from the Dorchester County Planning Commission Workshop on the Issue of Mining

Dorchester County Planning Commission held a workshop meeting on Monday, November 4, 2024, in the Summerville County Council Chambers at 500 N. Main Street to discuss a proposed amendment to the existing County Ordinance 20-17. While few introductions were made in the meeting, several people were assumed to be from the county commission, several people present were representing the mining interests, a couple representing the Town of Dorchester and the local area, and our State Representative for Dorchester District 97 (Colleton & Dorchester Counties) Robby Robins were in attendance.

The members of the Planning Commission indicated the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the proposed amendment to Section 10.4.11 of the Dorchester County Ordinance 20-17, by inserting the following language:

“10.4.11(b)(8) Location. Resource extraction use shall not be allowed on a lot located within 2.5 miles of another lot on which another resource extraction use has been permitted or is currently in operation, whether located in incorporated Dorchester County or within a municipality. Distances shall be measured as a radius from the nearest property line of the subject lot to the nearest property line of a lot containing another resource extraction use.“

There was discussion about a wide range of topics, including property rights, road design, state & county road maintenance and construction responsibilities, the significant increase of quad-axle trucks over the last year, augmenting the triaxle mining truck traffic, the destruction of Salem Road due to truck traffic, taxation of trucks, geology, and a lot of general discussion unrelated to the specific proposed ordinance change.

A few items specifically discussed related to the proposal were:

Mining will continue in the area for the foreseeable future to serve development and road projects.
The proposed change is modeled after a similar Charleston County Ordinance. Despite mining opposition, the Charleston County ordinance remains in effect and is currently unchanged.
State DOT borrow pits would not be exempt from this ordinance or this change.
The issue of determining “currently in operation” was raised, i.e., what would be the definition of in operation? Would permitted mines not actively mining be considered in operation?
Possible consideration for small mining (less than 2-5 acres) exemption was suggested.

At the end of the meeting, the proposed ordinance change was to move from the workshop meeting to the next Dorchester County Planning Commission Meeting. No action was taken to change the proposed language of the change from the workshop group.

November 4, 2024

Dorchester County Planning Commission Workshop on the Issue of Mining

I received a notice for posting this morning from Robby Robbins (our state representative for Colleton & Dorchester Counties) stating the Dorchester County Planning Commission is having a workshop on the issue of mining in the greater Dorchester area today (November 4, 2024) at 3 PM in Summerville. I’ll assume the location is the Summerville County Council Chambers located at 500 N. Main Street (Cedar St. Entrance). If you can attend or stop in even for a few minutes it would help show our community interest on this topic. This workshop meeting is not listed on the Dorchester County website. Please note this is a Planning Commission workshop and not necessarily a public hearing. Please. I do not know their protocols for comment or input but we want to convey any interest and concerns allowed politely and productively.

October 21, 2024

Dorchester County Council To Consider Limiting Mining

After years of public feedback, it looks like the Dorchester County Council is finally considering some action to limit the negative impacts of mining operations in our area.

There is a Dorchester County Council meeting tonight at 6 pm (the County Planning meeting is at 5:45 pm). The hot topic is the Public Hearing, which is to amend the county mining regulations to limit the proximity of new mining operations.

If you can attend, please do and make your voices heard.

Planning Committee Agenda: https://docs.google.com/gview?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgranicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdorchester%2Fa342504a3e608349ebebcd358899ee2e0.pdf&embedded=true

County Council Agenda: https://docs.google.com/gview?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgranicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdorchester%2F25f03316663850fa45e5aaf192b723ba0.pdf&embedded=true

May 10, 2024May 10, 2024

A Salem Road Update with a Twist

After Channel 4 came out last week, Channel 2 News also came out on Monday May 6th, and did another short new piece focused on Salem Road and the truck damage to our roads by the sand trucks. (Link to the Channel 2 Live news story Trucks carrying dirt from nearby mines causing damage to roads in Dorchester).

Members of our town have discussed in-person the road condition issues with our District 1 County Council Member Harriet Holman and our SC State Representative House District 97 – Robby Robbins. Mr. Robbins toured our area on Sunday, May 5th, and Mrs. Holman was to tour our area on Tuesday, May 7th. Early feedback is the Department of Transportation (DOT) folks are “working on a plan to completely redo” Salem Road. While it may take them a few weeks to get everything together the end product should be a completely new Salem Road.

In trying to research the Salem mine permit (there is none) with the DHEC Mining folks, I learned the two mine sites on Salem Road are Department of Transportation (DOT) “borrow pits.” And it should come as no surprise, DOT borrow pits are apparently exempt from having to obtain a mine operating permit. This would also explain the lack of community notice for mining operations and why the DOT is so quick to come up with a plan to replace the road.

May 4, 2024May 4, 2024

Salem Road Update

Channel 4 News came out Friday and did a short new piece focused on Salem Road however this is bigger than just a few sand trucks on a country road, it’s the tip of a complicated iceberg.

(Link to the Channel 4 Live news story Dorchester residents raise concerns over street damage and noise from truck traffic ) And it’s not a “salt mine” it’s a sand mine, one of dozens encircling our community.

Almost every road around our Town of Dorchester now has at least one sand mine feeding these massive sand trucks onto them. Sandridge, Salem, Zion, and East Main/178 all have heavy sand truck traffic from pre-dawn to dusk, six days a week.

Sand mines and the associated truck traffic are destroying taxpayer-funded roads for the profit of others. The County and DHEC continue to approve private sand mine zoning and permitting over repeated citizen impact concerns and then seemingly do nothing when there is a problem. But of course “Dorchester County says it’s working to manage it all.” How? By collecting your tax money and then throwing asphalt at the problem? Or maybe by passing another law the mines won’t follow?

Our town benefits ZERO from these state and county-approved, highly profitable, mining operations destroying the area, our roads, and the environment around us. I would encourage everyone concerned to continue to contact your representative and advocate for more local control over the damage to our roads from sand mines.

May 2, 2024

Our Town Roads

Our roads are being destroyed by sand trucks. I recently responded to a neighbor’s complaint related to the road condition along Salem Road and took some time to drive Salem from Railway Drive to Halfway Gut Creek. I was aghast at the deterioration of the roadway in less than a year.

There is now a new sand mine straddling both sides of the road just before Halfway Gut. Someone installed a steel plate in the road due to the trucks turning in and out of the mine tearing up the road. The road directly in front of the Salem United Methodist Church is largely destroyed now. There are potholes everywhere.

Road crews unsuccessfully attempted to repave the section in front of the Methodist Church, I don’t think their work lasted more than a few hours. The sand trucks were driving over the repairs before the crews were finished.

I have sent the following letter from our town association to Mrs. Harret Holman and the Dorchester County Commissioners seeking their support.

Letter to Dorchester County Commissioners

Almost every road around our Town of Dorchester now has at least one sand mine feeding these massive sand trucks onto them. Sandridge, Salem, Zion, and East Main/178 all now have heavy sand truck traffic six days a week for at least eight hours a day. I would encourage everyone concerned to contact your representative and advocate for more control over the damage to our roads from sand mines. You can call, email, or write a letter asking for their support for our committee.

Please feel free to use the following template and your own words. You can also cut and paste into an email and send it directly to the commissioners (or anyone else you think may support this issue). This link (https://www.dorchestercountysc.gov/government/county-council/council-members) gives our County Council members’ phone numbers and email addresses.

Resident-Letter-to-DorchesterCC-for-road-Maintenance.docx Download

August 28, 2023

Another Sand Mine is Coming To Dorchester – Update!

I had not received the needed ten petition signature until Sunday, August 13th and sent the petition for a public meeting to DHEC despite being past the deadline. DHEC responded today with a letter indicating they would not proceed with a Public Hearing due to the missed regulatory deadline, but would arrange for a Public Meeting. The public meeting will allow for the exchange of information and provide an opportunity for the community to express our concerns.

Once the public meeting details are received, interested parties will be notified and I will update this site with the meeting time and place details.

August 8, 2023

Another Sand Mine is Coming To Dorchester – Sign the Public Hearing Petition

DHEC has a new application for another sand mine and has made noting to the adjacent properties. The Moore Mine (Application for a Mine Operating Permit I-002398) is an 89.9-acre mine planed to a depth of 30 feet, with an included +-15 acres flagged as wetlands, located at the end of Moore Road, between Salem and Powder Horn Roads. The mine operations plan on pumping out water during mining into the wetlands draining to Halfway Gut Creek. Reclamation information indicates the mine pits (39.3 acres) will remain and be allowed to fill with water for future lakes or ponds. The site maps include possible “future home sites.” This mine will add even more sand truck traffic to Zion, Salem, Powder Horn, and Sandridge Roads.

You can review the DHEC permit information here (https://epermweb.dhec.sc.gov/ncore/external/publicnotice/info/-209032074109656397/details). You can post comments on the “Add Comments” tab of the DHEC site. However in order for the local community to express concerns in a public hearing, the statute requires the submission of a petition signed by a minimum of ten people.

I have created a downloadable or printable form to petition for a public hearing. Simply download or print the form (just select the download arrow or the printer icon below) and fill in the requested information on the form below. Then scan it with your computer, or take a picture with your phone of the completed form and email it to dprovenzanosc@gmail.com no later than Noon August 11, 2023. I need to compile the names and send them and the signed forms to DHEC by 5pm on that date.

Petition-for-Public-Hearing-DHEC-I-002398-Application-for-a-Mine-Operating-Permit-Moorer-Mine Download

October 10, 2020

Pineland Sand Mine Application Gets Approved

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) provided notice of approval of the Application and Reclamation Plan for a Mine Operating Permit and Issuance of Mine Operating Permit I-002279 to Sandridge Road Holdings, LLC for the Pineland Mine in Dorchester County, South Carolina,

DHEC received the permit application for the proposed Pineland Mine in September of 2019. DHEC’s Bureau of Land and Waste Management (BLWM) placed the mine operating permit application on public notice in February 27, 2020 and held a virtual public hearing to receive comments on the mine operating permit application on July 23, 2020. DHEC received comments and concerns between February 27, 2020 and August 7, 2020 and provided a Summary Response to Comments.

You can find all of the details including the Mine Operating Permit, Summary Response to Comments, and other information relevant to Pineland Mine can be viewed on DHEC’s website at: https://scdhec.gov/environment/environmental-sites-projects-permits-interest/pineland-mine

Some of the public comments or concerns expressed, including defined operating hours and the ability to hold the mine responsible for disruption of nearby well disturbed by mining operations, have been incorporated in to the permit.

After consideration of all information presented, review of all public comments received, as well as additional information provided by the applicant, the BLWM approved the requested application for a Mine Operating Permit.

If you are an affected party, you have the right to request a final review of this permit decision. This request must be made in writing to the Clerk of the DHEC Board. Procedures for requesting this review are enclosed and more information can be viewed on DHEC’s website at: https://scdhec.gov/about-dhec/sc-board-health-and-environmental-control/guide-board-review

Any questions or for further DHEC assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the project manager, Mason Brandes, at 803-898-1369 or by e-mail at brandemd@dhec.sc.gov

Tag: sand mine