Ohio EPA agrees to do new probe of Ottawa County quarry

BENTON TOWNSHIP — The Ohio EPA has agreed to investigate a controversial quarry to see if deposits of spent lime are violating pollution laws.The state agency announced the new probe of the former Stoneco Quarry, now the Rocky Ridge Quarry, in a Feb. 10 letter sent to residents who oppose the quarry's operations.The quarry, located at 14591 W. Toussaint, Graytown, northwest of Oak Harbor, also is battling a legal action from the Ottawa County prosecutor's office which claims that the deposits are a zoning violation.The company, which has a state EPA permit, has been depositing materials left over from a water filter plant in Toledo, placing the materials on the grounds of the property. Another proposed permit seeking permission to put materials into the quarry itself is pending with the Ohio EPA.The new EPA probe is in response to a "verified complaint" sent to the state agency by a group that opposes operations at the quarry and which calls itself Benton Township Quarry Dumping Opposition in its Facebook group, which as of Tuesday had 537 members."A verified complaint carries more weight than a phone call or letter and less than a lawsuit. It's something by law in the state of Ohio anyone can do without an attorney," a member of the group explained in a statement emailed to the Register on Feb. 10. "There are a number of criteria that need to be met to qualify. We were notified today that our complaint met all the criteria and is being sent on for investigation."The complaint, signed by members of the group and sent to Ohio EPA director Craig Butler, alleges that the lime deposits at the site violate a number of rules and regulations, including local zoning laws, the federal Clean Water Act (which the state EPA enforces) and the quarry owner's current EPA permit.A Feb. 10 letter from Bruce McCoy, the EPA's environmental manager in the group's Division of Materials and Waste Management, said that while the agency cannot investigate some of the allegations, such as alleged zoning violations, it can look into others."Therefore, your letter is being forwarded to the appropriate Ohio EPA office and your allegations are being investigated," McCoy wrote.An aerial photo of the former Stoneco Quarry in Benton Township.