Facts
and Information
Proposed Strip Mining Douglas Point in Nanjemoy
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Articles>
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Strip Mining WILL...
- CLEAR
over 600 acres of Forest Land
- DREDGE
through Bass Hatchery
- DESTROY
habitats for rare Birds and Plants
- STOCKPILE
on Critical Area
- RUIN
50 million year old Fossil Site
Charles
County, Maryland is a wonderful place to live. The Charles
County Economic Development Commission Web Site describes the quality
of life in the following words:
Charles County
is committed to building a thriving business environment while retaining
the beauty and quality of life that makes this county an inviting place
to live and grow. Bring your business and your family to a place you'll
be delighted to call HOME.
Much of Charles
County is still forested. Wildlife sanctuaries in the southern corner
of the county harbor great blue herons, beavers, and majestic bald eagles.
One hundred and fifty miles of scenic shoreline make this a paradise
for fishermen and boaters. Relaxing strolls and beautiful sunsets are
here for the taking. Picture yourself calling Charles County HOME.
Perhaps the most
beautiful shoreline in Charles County is along the Potomac River in
Nanjemoy, where it winds around Liverpool Point, Douglas Point and Smith
Point to form Mallows Bay, Blue Bay and Wades Bay. This area is home
to great blue herons, beavers and majestic bald eagles described on
the Development
Commission's Web Site.
Unfortunately, this beautiful area is at great risk from a proposal
to locate a large surface mining operation at Douglas Point. Douglas
Point is zoned as "Agricultural Conservation," and the project cannot
proceed without a Special Exception. A permit for such an exception
has been filed with the Charles County Board of Appeals by Maryland
Rock Industries. According to the application, the Special Exception
uses are "similar in scope and operational methods" to the Maryland
Rock's Goose Bay site.
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The
Goose Bay site has been strip mined for approximately twenty years.
For the last three years it has been operated by Maryland Rock. The
actual mining occurs several thousand feet from the River, with the
processed sand and gravel moved by conveyer to a large holding area
near the shore. From the holding area the sand and gravel are loaded
onto barges. Operations such as the Goose Bay project create noise and
a large amount of dust.
There
are several significant differences to the Goose Bay operations and
the proposed Douglas Point operation. For example, the barge loading
operation requires water depths of 14'. At Goose Bay, the loading operation
hugs the shore, so the visual and noise impact is somewhat reduced.
At Douglas Point, however, the water depth where the loading facilities
are proposed is very shallow. It may be possible to dredge a channel
from deeper water, but the presence of aquatic vegetation may preclude
any dredging in waters with depths of six feet or less. At Douglas Point,
the water depth remains less than six feet (at low tide) for almost
one-quarter mile off shore! If a pier is constructed to reach from shore
to a point where dredging is allowed, it would be more than twenty times
longer than the piers already located in the area.
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Additionally, the proposed mining operation also will be much larger
and much closer to the shore than it is at Goose Bay. The overall
area to be mined at Douglas Point will exceed 500 acres. At Goose Bay
the mining operation is on the eastern side of Route 224. A large portion
of the operation at Douglas Point will be o the western side of Route
224, and the loading facility will be within the critical area.
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News
Articles
Washington
Post Articles (only available for 14 days after print)
<Aug.
6 - PEPCO Holds Its Ground on Selling Land>
<Aug.
6 - HOT SPOT: Mining Alert>
<July
30 - Preservationists Near Deal to Buy Shoreline>
<July
6 - U.S. Helps Conserve Land in Charles>
<June
4 - Mining Opponents Gather Allies>
<May
31 - Residents Dig In To Protect Fossils>
Other
Important Links
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