The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing. John Taddonio, Rocky Ridge Development manager, has in the past vowed safe operations and compliance with rules. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The Ohio EPA gave the company permission in 2014 to start blending waste byproducts at the site with soil as scientists considered the risk of filling in the pit with those materials, which can contain arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, and other metals. Such an arrangement would be a one of its kind in Ohio, the agency said.
But with their drone-produced photographs, residents believe they can prove the company has excavated down to the quarry bedrock and are filling in the hole without leaving a substantial, five-foot buffer the agency insisted upon in a Dec. 23 letter when it said low-lying areas could be filled to enhance drainage.
A verified complaint has been sent to Ohio EPA Director Craig Butler, calling for an immediate cease-and-desist order against Rocky Ridge Development. It was discussed during a township board meeting Monday night that drew a standing-room-only crowd of more than 50 people.
“It appears that Rocky Ridge Development is excavating to bedrock and dumping the lime residuals directly onto bedrock on this property,” the notarized complaint states.
The agency is having its legal staff review the complaint, the drone-produced photographs, inspection reports, and other information, Dina Pierce, agency spokesman, said.
Wes Gahler, Benton Township board president, told The Blade trustees were advised by counsel to hold off taking official action for now. He said they are likely to send their own verified complaint later.
Meanwhile, Rocky Ridge is defending itself in Ottawa County Municipal Court over zoning violations filed by the county prosecutor’s office. A preliminary hearing before Judge Frederick “Fritz” C. Hany II was held last week.
In their complaint to the Ohio EPA, residents said it is their “collective opinion” Rocky Ridge Development is “turning the property into a landfill for this material, which was never intended by the [state] permit.”
They worry about the impact any migrating contaminants could have on the region’s sensitive aquifer and their private water wells.
Residents are uneasy about how long it is taking the Ohio EPA to review information.
“The [Ohio] EPA is pretty slow reacting to anything we’ve brought to their attention,” Mr. Gahler said. “We have seen no action.”
Last fall, Rocky Ridge Development applied for authorization to build a 20-acre pond.
Records show the Ohio EPA has cited the company for storm water and air pollution violations in recent months. The Dec. 23 correspondence states the agency “had concerns with the ongoing implementation” of the site’s land application management plan. In that letter, the agency was told it must maintain at least a five-foot buffer between the bedrock and waste placement.
Project designers Hull & Associates Inc., of Toledo, has said the operation will not impact the aquifer. Firm founder, John Hull, has said an open quarry poses an airborne risk of contamination.
Custom Ecology of Ohio Inc. of Mableton, Ga., is hauling away spent lime from Toledo’s water-treatment plant to make room for the biggest upcoming improvement there, installation of ozone technology to purify the city’s drinking water.
©2017 The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
