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OEPA Hearing On Mining Company Permit Draws Crowd, Comments

Many Clark County residents at the hearing were worried about the impact Enon Sand and Gravel's proposal could have on the environment.
Kristin Stratman
/
WYSO

More than 200 Springfield residents packed into a cafeteria at Greenon High School for a public hearing Thursday night.

Many came to comment on an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency permit application that would allow mining company Enon Sand and Gravel to dump treated wastewater into a tributary of the nearby Mud Run.

Dina Pierce is spokesperson for the Ohio EPA. Pierce says the agency is listening to community concerns as it considers the permit application.

“We know what our rules and regulations are, we know what the company wants to do. The people know their area better and we need to know what they’re thinking and maybe some things that we haven’t considered,” she says.

Representatives from Enon Sand and Gravel did not appear at the meeting.

More than 200 Springfield residents packed into a high school cafeteria for a public hearing Thursday night. Many came to comment on an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency permit application that would allow mining company Enon Sand and Gravel to dump tr
Credit Kristin Stratman / WYSO
/
WYSO
More than 200 Springfield residents packed into a high school cafeteria for a public hearing Thursday night. Many came to comment on an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency permit application that would allow mining company Enon Sand and Gravel to dump treated wastewater into a tributary of the nearby Mud Run.

In the crowd, Tom Kumbusky held a sign calling for the Ohio EPA to reject Enon Sand and Gravel's proposal.

He says he's worried about the potential impact on the environment of the company's plan to release wastewater into Clark County's waterways.

“I grew up a few hundred yards from Mud Run," he says. "I spent my childhood along Mud Run and my love of the outdoors was fostered there.”

Anyone who missed Thursday’s hearing has until February 8 to submit comments to the Ohio EPA in writing. Officials say they’ll address community feedback in a document to be released later this spring.

Submit comments via regular mail to:

Ohio EPA Permits Processing Unit, Division of Surface Water, PO Box 1049, Columbus Oh 43216

Or via email to:

dswcomments@epa.ohio.gov

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