Sloan Construction Blacksburg Quarry (Proposed)

From Rocks to New Roads

Location

I-85 Frontage Road, a mile South from I-85 and SC-198 interchange, in Cherokee County.

Mine Site

314 acres total, 54 acres for mining, 260 acres for buffers, processing facilities and roads.

WHAT WILL BE MINED?

The rock to be mined is hornblende gneiss of the Inner Piedmont belt. This formation is a medium to course grained, metamorphosed diorite, gabbro and pyrozenite. Due to its hardness and low porosity, this metamorphic rock is ideal for use as a construction grade aggregate.

WHAT WILL MINING INVOLVE?

The first steps involve drilling and blasting to

fracture or break up the granite, then it is trucked to the on-site plant to be crushed and washed, creating graded aggregate materials for the construction market.

WHAT ABOUT NOISE?

The Blacksburg Quarry will utilize best management practices and engineering controls to maintain a hearing conservation program for its employees. These controls will include but not be limited to timely maintenance schedules on equipment and soundproofed operator's cabins. Use of existing trees and plants and the construction of an earthen barrier along the property perimeter will aid in dampening excessive noise from travelling off property.

HOW MUCH BLASTING WILL THERE BE?

Blasting will take place 1 to 2 times a week between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. No blasting is expected on weekends or holidays. The blasts will last less than 2 seconds each. All blasts will be monitored and recorded utilizing seismographs. Neighbors will be notified of blasts on the day of each blast prior to detonation.

WHAT HOURS WILL THE MINE BE IN OPERATION?

Mining, processing and trucking will run on an average of 10 hours a day. About 200 truck trips a day are expected, with vehicles taking the Frontage Road out of the plant to Interstate 85, headed toward Greenville S.C. or Charlotte, N.C. The mine will be closed on Sundays.