Keystone Cement sent its management team to East Allen Township Dec. 19 to explain plans for expanding the local quarry.

The company applied for a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection for the expansion, but the wordy and long permit was possibly subjected to a series of misinterpretations. Keystone wanted to set the record straight and to clarify the program and its commitment to the local community.

Stuart Guinther, the plant manager, introduced his team. The lead geologist, Matthew Weikel, is an independent consultant with EarthRes.

As Weikel explained, the company wants to expand the quarry by digging down another 100 feet and expanding into the southern edge where high-grade cement rock is untapped. Expanding, as outlined in the DEP permit, would keep the plant productive for another 60 years, Weikel said.

The cement rock - special limestone - is the prime product from the quarry. There are sections of dolomite that can be mined for aggregate, but this is a by-product. It is mined because it is there. The southern edge of the quarry has high-grade cement rock that can be mixed with the existing rock to improve its quality.

Weikel explained the permit allows the company to expand, but it must be a controlled expansion.

“Because we have the permit does not mean we can dig to the limit. We must proceed slowly. We can go to 50 feet lower now,” he said.

At the 50-foot level, the permit is reassessed to determine impact on the surrounding land.

The concern for residents near the quarry is the impact the expanded digging will have on their existing wells. An interpretation of the permit limits by Supervisor Mark Schwartz reported more than 200 wells were in jeopardy of being rendered no longer useful.

Scott McGoldrick, Keystone’s manager for compliance, corrected this misinterpretation. Keystone has drilled three new test wells, intended to monitor water levels.

McGoldrick anticipated mining another 50 feet would drop the water level approximately 10 feet, within parameters of the data obtained from a company-initiated survey.

Sharon Fournier, a Jacksonville Road resident, noted she was unable to fill out the survey.

“I have no idea how deep the well is or its capacity. If you (Keystone) need to know, then you should take the measurements,” she said.

Getting accurate measurements on a well is a time-consuming and costly venture. The process is to electronically ping to the top water level, run the well for six hours and then ping the level again. Other factors that play into the assessment include the location of the pump, the general construction and the mean height of the water table.

McGoldrick noted water levels dropped as much as 30 feet during a severe drought several years ago and none of the wells went dry.

The permit also requires that Keystone make residential wells functional in the event of a failure. There have not been any cases where a well has gone dry.

Guinther explained water is in the dolomite rock.

“As the water is released, it returns to the aquifer,” he said.

The plant has a retention quarry that holds excess water, but generally, the water is dispersed across the ground and is naturally filtered as it returns to the aquifer.

Guinther made the point in a response to a question from Schwartz. The concern was if the aquifer could serve the residential wells. Guinther noted the existing permit allows the company to move 12 million gallons per day (GPD), although only 6 to 7 GPD are actually pumped. The new limits are higher, but mining produces enough water to replenish the aquifer.

Supervisors heard complaints that resident concerns are not addressed. Reported problems with flow were often addressed as “not our problem,” they alleged.

McGoldrick said the company test wells are continuously monitored. They indicate the height of the water table.

“If we don’t see a change in the water table, it means the well is receiving the right amount of water,” he said.

There are instances where wells or pumps have failed and the initial suspicion was that the water table dropped significantly.

Blasting was another complaint. Guinther indicated blasting might be louder now because mining is at the southern edge of the quarry to get the higher-quality rock. Keystone has seismometers at various locations and has not violated the limits imposed by DEP.

Fournier complained her plaster walls are cracked and the cracks appear to be more frequent. Guinther indicated the problem was probably not blasting and he offered to put a seismometer on her property.

The blasting techniques utilized by Keystone use delay fuses to minimize vibration. McGoldrick noted there are approximately 40 blasts per year.

McGoldrick did agree the water has a higher concentration of calcium than might be seen at other locations in the Lehigh Valley.

He did not think concentrations of dirty water were caused by blasting.

Supervisors did not make any decisions on supporting the permit request but appeared to be satisfied they received pertinent data on the impact of expanding the well.