Concerned Citizens of Spring Valley:
Keeping an Eye on Martin Marietta

WATER WELL PROTECTION PROGRAM
PROPOSED COOK ROAD SAND AND GRAVEL
MIDAMERICA DIVISION-MMM
SPRING VALLEY, GREENE COUNTY OHIO

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (MMM) has developed a ground-water monitoring program to insure that all water supplies for residences in the vicinity of the proposed Cook Road sand and gravel operation are protected and that any complaints regarding the quality and reliability of their water source are promptly addressed. If MMM is determined to be the cause of well failure and/or have an adverse impact on the water quality of any well in the vicinity of the proposed operation, a mitigation plan will be implemented by MMM at no cost to the homeowner.

The proposed water well protection program consists of three principal components: 1) A comprehensive ground water monitoring program at the operation, 2) Pre-mining home owner well survey for any residence located within 2000 ft. of the proposed extent of mining, 3) Well complaint mitigation and resolution procedures. This plan is a comprehensive approach to insure that any and all adverse impacts on domestic wells will be addressed and resolved.

Groundwater Monitoring Program

MMM will install six ground-water monitoring wells up to a depth of 70 ft. The location of these wells will be finalized during the Ohio DNR mine permit application process. In general, the monitoring wells will be located on MMM property between the extent of mining and the property line. A total of six wells will be installed: four, located along the western and southern boundary of the proposed operation. Two wells will be located along the eastern property boundary down gradient of the plant processing area and the dredge lake, along the western side of Cook Road. A seventh well, the existing domestic well near the farmhouse and existing buildings, may be utilized as an additional monitoring point after well inspection indicates that it has the proper construction to provide reliable monitoring results.

Monitoring Well Construction

The monitoring wells will be constructed using the guidelines and protocols established by Ohio EPA for monitoring well design and construction. Each of the six monitoring wells will be constructed using a hollow-stem auger drilling method. Using four-inch diameter PVC casing and screen, a fifteen-foot screen with a riser pipe will be installed to a depth of 70 feet below ground surface. The screened interval will be backed filled with fine sand to hold back the gravel formation and the casing riser pipe will be grouted in place. The well will be developed using an airlift method of well development to stabilize the sand pack and insure the well produces clear water. A concrete pad will be placed around the wellhead to eliminate surface water infiltration. Each well will be fitted with an outside protective casing and locking gap.

Well Sampling and Monitoring Program

MMM will monitor water level fluctuations in the six wells using automatic water-level instrumentation devices. Pressure transducers and data loggers will be installed in each well and setup to record the water elevation every four hours yielding a total of six measurements per day. This type of monitoring system will provide a nearly continuous record of the water elevation fluctuations within each well. MMM will take annually a groundwater sample from each of the six monitoring wells and submit the samples for analytical testing, to an Ohio EPA certified laboratory, for the following constituents: pH, Total Coliform Bacteria, Alkalinity, Chloride, Sulfate, Nitrate, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, and Manganese. The samples will also be tested for Petroleum-Type compounds using both USEPA Method 8270 for Base Neutral Organic compounds and USEPA Method 602 for Gasoline (BTEX with additives). The dredge lake will be sampled quarterly for Total Coliform Bacteria.

Data Reporting and Documentation

MMM will develop a sampling and analysis plan, which will follow the protocols outlined in the OEPA Groundwater Monitoring guidance documents. This sampling and analysis plan will specify the procedures for sampling the groundwater monitoring wells, decontamination of sampling equipment, and the analytical methodologies and protocols. All monitoring data will be compiled in electronic form to facilitate data storage, analysis, reporting, and retrieval. The groundwater level data will be compiled on a quarterly basis and be readily available for inspection by the public at the office of the proposed Cook Road Sand and Gravel operation.

Annual monitoring reports will be compiled which summarize water level and analytical laboratory data for the site for the year. The annual monitoring report will address water level fluctuations for each specific monitoring well, the overall effect of the sand and gravel operation on the water-table, if any, and will summarize the groundwater sample results. Copies of the annual monitoring reports will be maintained at the plant office and filed with the Greene Department of Health.

Pre-Operation Homeowner Well Survey

MMM will conduct, at no cost to the homeowner, a pre-operation survey of each domestic well located west of the Little Miami River and within 2000 feet of the proposed extent of mining. The survey will consist of taking a water level measurement, taking a water quality sample, and confirming the operational condition(s) of the pump and well casing. To be eligible for the Well Complaint Resolution Program, residents must live within 2000 feet to the proposed mining extent and must give permission to MMM to conduct the survey within 30 days of receiving a certified letter request. A form for scheduling the pre-mining survey will be included in this letter request. The survey test results will be mailed to all residents within the prescribed distance by certified mail with return receipt.

Well Complaint Resolution Program

MMM will develop and provide to the Spring Valley Township Zoning Inspector a written document, which specifies the procedures that MMM is committed to follow to resolve any domestic water well complaints. This document will provide a telephone and e-mail list of multiple contacts within the MMM-Mid America Division management organization for the residents and the township officials. In the event of a residential complaint of a diminished or lost water supply from a domestic well, MMM will respond within 48 hours to the homeowner and begin to evaluate the complaint by providing, at a minimum, a temporary source of bottled drinking water, taking both a water level in the well and a water sample submitting the sample for analysis for the same testing protocols as used for the on-site monitoring wells.

The criteria to determine if impact has occurred will be based upon a comparison of the established baseline data for ground water elevation and water quality as measured in the monitoring wells on the proposed MMM site against the homeowner specific well results of the pre-mining water well survey and those measurements and samples taken by MMM in the domestic well at the time of the complaint. The resolution of complaint will be dependent upon several criteria regarding the domestic water well: (1) the percentage of the total water column loss in the well, (water level decline in the well from baseline), (2) The concentration of water quality parameters has increased to above regulatory standards for drinking water, which will be addressed on a case-by-case basis, if the domestic well has not experienced any water level decline, and (3) Operational conditions of the well and the pump which will be addressed on a case-by-case basis if the domestic well has not experienced water level declines as specified above. The occurrence of pump failure dons not indicate causation by MMM unless the pump failure is due to the loss of water saturation within the subject well as specified in (1) above.

Replacement of Groundwater Supply

If the analysis and the evaluation of the well complaint leads to the determination that an adverse impact did occur and was caused by the proposed Cook Road operation, MMM will replace the domestic water supply at the subject residence by the following, but not limited to, methods at no cost to the homeowner: 1) make the necessary mechanical repairs to the well casing, well screen, or pump, to put the well into acceptable operating condition, 2) deepen the existing well or drill a replacement well at the residence, 3) provide another source of reliable water by drilling a community well or using a publicly available water supply for the residence.

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