Asphalt plant causes community concern

A local company is seeking a special use permit to build an asphalt plant along U.S. 17 north of Jacksonville, and area residents are not pleased.

Morton Trucking of Jacksonville has submitted a request for a Special Use Application to the Onslow County Board of Adjustment to build a 200-ton-an-hour asphalt plant near Halltown Road and U.S. 17. The board is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Health Department auditorium on College Street in Jacksonville to consider the special use permit request.

The request was originally scheduled to be considered by the board at its November meeting but was rescheduled.

Jacksonville resident Carolyn Humphrey, who lives within half a mile of the proposed asphalt plant site, said she is concerned for the plant’s potential effects on the health of the community, the environment and property values.

“We feel like this community will be destroyed by this asphalt plant,” she said.

Humphrey said several family members and neighbors have various health problems that having an asphalt plant nearby would aggravate and complicate.

“My mother-in-law lives two doors down from us, and she has respiratory issues,” she said. “In fact, we have a note from her respiratory physician stating that she is not to be within 10 miles of an asphalt plant due to her respiratory condition.”

Jacksonville resident Denise Brown said she’s also concerned the proposed asphalt plant will affect air quality.

“I’m just not interested in seeing it in my neighborhood. I have children with health issues and I’m just not interested in seeing it,” she said.

Brown, whose property line is about a mile from where the proposed plant would be, said she’s asked George O’Daniel, Onslow County health director, for the state to conduct a health assessment on the proposed site to see if it would, in fact, negatively impact the air quality of those living nearby.

“If the state toxicologists say it won’t affect my quality of air, I will be a whole lot happier,” she said. “It’s such a controversial thing. Some say it won’t, some say it will. Since we don’t know for sure, I’m afraid it’s going to be one of those issues like the water at Camp Lejeune where years later we have to worry about it.”

On the environmental side, Humphrey said Little Northeast Creek, which runs near the proposed plant site, would be “devastated” by runoff from the plant.

White Oak-New Riverkeeper Tess Sanders Sanders is equally concerned about environmental effects.

“Asphalt plants can contaminate ground and surface water through spills and leaks of chemicals. This contaminated water could then migrate to the creek and the New River,” Sanders said in a letter sent to the Onslow County Board of Commissioners. “The proposed facility is very close to the banks of Little Northeast Creek … It is also extremely close to the 100-year floodplain and designated wetlands.”

Sanders added that the natural wetlands vegetation near the proposed sited has been removed, which would allow contaminants to flow into Little Northeast Creek unchecked.

“There is also some potential for groundwater contamination and those impacts are heightened because of the proximity to the quarry,” she said.

Sanders said Morton Trucking has had issues complying with rules and regulations governing the business already in operation. Sanders cited a notice of violation and recommendation for enforcement from the North Carolina Department of Environment and National Resources from June 26 citing Morton Minerals Inc. for operating a mine plant without a stormwater permit.

“I have concerns with potentially handing him the key to a potentially toxic, polluting asphalt plant when he hasn’t managed his current business within the confines of the law,” Sanders said.

While she doesn’t want the asphalt plant near her home, Humphrey said she understands the need for growth and progress and hopes Morton Trucking is able to build the plant elsewhere.

“We … want growth, we want this stuff … but we want it where it does no harm to the community,” she said. “I want him to have an asphalt plant. He just can’t put it in an established community with history … It’s just not being good stewards of this community.”

Representatives from Morton Trucking did not return requests for comment.

Contact Molly DeWitt at 910-219-8455 or mdewitt@freedomenc.com.