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Officials expect mining operations to continue
Kingston Freeman By Dawn Letus, Freeman staff November 5, 2001
TOWN OF SAUGERTIES - Operations are expected to continue at a shale mine
overlooking the state Thruway once a remediation plan is filed with the state
Department of Environmental Conservation to address recent violations on the
slope, according to the state agency's land reclamation specialist.
Robert Martin said a cease and desist order has been placed on mining at the
site until the violation is resolved, but the agency will allow materials already
processed to continue to be crushed and removed.
Initially, Martin said, the mine was approved for work on 6 acres of a 23-acre property with an unlimited amount of material allowed to be taken.
The mine's operators cut 15 feet too deep into the hillside of the intermittently active mine, exposing the upper bench, Martin said. Instead of a face height of 15 to 20 feet, people driving along the Thruway are looking at exposed heights of nearly 25 feet, he said.
"The error is fixable, since we caught it in time," Martin said.
Officials from the environmental agency met with mine owner William Parr in mid-October, at which time Parr told them he misread plans showing the vertical scale on the elevation of the benches. Parr thought the map scale was 1 inch equaled 30 feet, rather than 1 inch equaling 50 feet, Martin said.
Engineers from Praetorius and Conrad will address remedial plans, which are expected to be submitted within the next two to three months, to make the area visually compatible with the forested area surrounding the site, Martin said. Implementation of those plans is expected to take a year to a year and a half to complete, he said.
"Ideally, this area will be vegetated in time," Martin said. "Since he is mining from the top down, we have been trying to get him to reclaim as he goes. The site is quite visible from the Thruway and the village."
The agency will be using Parr's engineer's submissions to file an order of consent, which should be prepared sometime this week, Martin said.
"So far, (Parr) has been very cooperative," Martin said.
Parr is expected to waive his rights to a hearing on the matter and sign the order, which will outline fines, penalties and expected dates of compliance, Martin said.