Rock quarry proposed for Edgefield County
EDGEFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF) –- A rock quarry could be headed to southwestern Edgefield County, but not everybody is happy about it. “This is a rural road, this not a commercial road. The industrial area is out on 25 and they have zoning over there,” Edgefield County resident John Hudson said.
The proposed rock quarry site spans 17 hundred acres off Woodlawn Road, close to the McCormick County line. Luck Stone’s rock quarry project aims to produce 600 thousand tons of crushed stone yearly. The material is essential for building roads, hospitals, schools, and homes.
“There’s a quarry down the road five miles and this quarry post is up against the national forest and up against the corner of the state. So, they would have to come all the way through the county to deliver rock everywhere,” he shared.
The project plans to start with about 15 employees, possibly increasing to 25. The company spent two years’ surveying of the area.
Some concerns raised include potential environmental impacts, such as traffic, noise, and decreased property values. “The DOT said also there’s always wrecks. But why we want to increase the risk of killing our children and our wives on these roads with these trucks, these trucks are dump trailers.”
Company leaders plan to address those concerns, while also proposing recreation areas and a possible trail connection along Stevens Creek. “There is an opportunity for easy development around the pit, which will ultimately be a water feature. And then a big forestry tracks that kind of wraps down here. We’ve put a trail along Stevens Creek, we have conditioned ourselves to work through a process to create that trail,” a developer said at a recent meeting.
If approved, construction could start in two to five years. You can learn more at an information session on Monday at 5 p.m. at the Sweetwater Community Center.
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