CALL TO ACTION TDEC PUBLIC HEARING to OPPOSE NPDES Permit Thursday Nov. 21st 5:30pm, Princess Theatre, South Pittsburg.

This could be the FINAL OPPORTUNITY for our community to come together and demonstrate publicly, our opposition to the Tinsley quarry!

There are two ways to participate in the Public Hearing:

1) Attend in person (for the greatest impact). Thursday November 21st 5:30pm at the Princess Theatre, 215 S Cedar Ave, South Pittsburg, TN 37380

2) Attend virtually. The virtual option to the public meeting will be provided by TDEC, via a Microsoft Teams web based conference platform. SOCM/Stop Jump Off Quarry will host a virtual participation gathering at Morton Memorial Church 322 W Main St, Monteagle, TN 37356 beginning at 5:00pm on the 21st. You can also join virtually from your computer or phone at home. Information on how to join virtually can be found here:

dmgr_ppo_pn24-15Download
Instructions on joining TDEC Public Hearing virtuallyDownload

Information about the Tinsley NPDES permit application can be found here:https://dataviewers.tdec.tn.gov/dataviewers/r/tdec_reports/f11776/permit-details?p11_permit_number=TN0070731&clear=11&session=8299709469030

TDEC has provided the following video to explain the Draft NPDES permit application and process


UPDATE 8/22/24

FIRST SOCM Plateau and Valley Chapter meeting scheduled for Sunday September 8th, 3-5:00pm at the American Legion Post 74 (66 Montgomery St.) in Tracy City, TN

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND

PLEASE REGISTER for the SOCM meeting here, if you are able to do so: https://bit.ly/socmpermit101

Hear updates on several proposed or ongoing harmful and destructive development projects in our three county area (Franklin, Marion, Grundy).

PERMIT INVESTIGATION 101 workshop: Learn about the permitting process required for quarry and other development projects. Learn how to research and track the progress of permits, and find out how to have your VOICE HEARD in the process.

UPDATE 8/8/24

*Call to Action*

Contact TDEC/DMGR Division of Mineral and Geologic Resources, email: [email protected] about NPDES permit TN0070731 (See BACKGROUND information on the new permits below).

Send emails requesting a PUBLIC HEARING, based upon objections to the permit on one or more of the following grounds:

The call for a public hearing requires that a) you must indicate the interest of the party requesting a hearing. b) state the reasons that a hearing is warranted, and c) the explain the nature of the water quality issues being raised.

  1. In your email identify yourself as a resident of the Jumpoff/Sewanee community living in proximity to the quarry who expects to be negatively affected by the quarry. If you have a residential well, please include concerns about the effect of the quarry on your well, in your letter/email.
  2. Focus on water quality issues as this is a NPDES water pollution discharge permit application. (NOTE: Because TDEC/DMGR does not regulate or enforce traffic laws, they can not consider arguments related to heavy truck traffic or road safety).
  3. Per the Clean Water Act, Tennessee has a water anti-degradation policy to establish protection for those waters that are identified to be of high quality. Jump off Creek has an “Exceptional Tennessee Waters” designation, and should therefore be protected against degradation. A sandstone quarry operation of the size and magnitude planned may discharge sediment and toxins into the watershed, harming plant and aquatic life, and degrading ground water that charges residential wells.
  4. Tennessee allows for some degradation of exceptional waters but only if the Tennessee Board of Water Quality, Oil and Gas deems it economically and socially necessary. Argue that the Jumpoff community stands to absorb all of the negative effects of the quarry with the economic benefits accruing primarily to the Tinsley corporation–not the residents of Jumpoff or Marion County. There are no social benefits to the community from this proposed quarry.
  5. In the NPDES permit, Tinsley proposes to use 2600gpm of groundwater in the operation of the quarry. However, Sewanee professor Dr. Martin Knoll explained in his blog on ‘Sewanee Water,’ the unique challenges of producing this volume of water on the Plateau. https://sewaneewater.com/2016/05/11/why-weve-pulled-the-plug-on-well-water-on-the-plateau/. According to state of Tennessee records, and conversations with well companies, the average well on the Plateau produces 3-5 gallons of water per minute.1 It seems suspect that Tinsley will be able to access 2600gpm of groundwater. The permit states that Tinsley will recycle water, but does not acknowledge or account for the need to replenish water lost in the production process. Where will the water come from? Tinsley states on the permit, that they will use ‘groundwater’ but also that the quarry is within the Sewanee Utility District service area. Does that mean that if they can not access enough groundwater that SUD will be required to provide this volume of water to an industrial customer?
  6. Tinsley has yet to post any of his permit applications at the property. Posting of permits allows residents to track developments at the site. Please request that TDEC/DMGR require that Tinsley post permits on site, protected from the effects of weather, and in a location that is visible to residents.

BACKGROUND: Tinsley has filed two new permits since June of 2024, an air pollution control (APC) permit, and a pollution discharge (NPDES) permit. The permits detail plans for a GREATLY EXPANDED quarry operation.

Initially, Tinsley stated that they would only mine sandstone at the Jump Off site, and then haul to another location for crushing and sizing. Now, Tinsley is proposing to expand the operation to include mining, crushing, sizing and washing on site (similar to the SRM plant on 41A).

The first permit is an air contaminant permit (TDEC Division identification number: 58-0166 and 82337) for the release of federally regulated air contaminants for a rock crushing and sizing operation that consists of crusher(s), screen(s), conveyor(s), and other equipment associated with crushing and sizing sandstone.

We have already requested a public hearing on this permit, and await TDECs response.

The second permit is a mining permit TN0070731, filed with the Department of Mineral and Geologic Resources. It is an individual NPDES permit required by the Clean Water Act, regulated by the EPA and administered at the state level by TDEC/DMGR. It regulates the discharge of polluted wastewater into wetlands and streams–in our case, the Jump Off Creek Watershed. This is the focus of our most recent Call to Action (above). We are closely monitoring the progression of this permit, and expect that a public notice will be posted on the DMGR website soon.

The draft permit can be found here:

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/environment/water/documents/permit_water_tmsp_sector-j_summary.pdf

You can keep up with the permit’s status here: https://dataviewers.tdec.tn.gov/dataviewers/r/tdec_reports/geode_dataviewer/permit-details?p11_permit_number=TN0070731&clear=11&session=17467849447905

UPDATE 7/24

Stop Jumpoff Quarry Joins with other groups in Franklin, Marion, and Grundy counties to become a new chapter of SOCM: Plateau & Valley SOCM

Stop Jumpoff Quarry has joined together with other groups in our three county area (Franklin, Grundy and Marion) to form the newest SOCM chapter: Plateau & Valley SOCM. The chapter’s mission is to protect residents from industrial or development projects that have the potential to harm human health and/or destroy ecosystems. We are committed to challenging invasive mining and other types of development that hold few direct benefits for our communities.

We continue to pursue a legal challenge against the Tinsley project. While there are not many laws in Tennessee that give residents in unincorporated areas a voice, or protect them from the harms associated with sandstone quarrying, we are pursuing a claim that TDECs permitting procedures run afoul of the spirit of the federal Clean Water Act, and the rules of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Update 5/24/24

Our fight against the proposed Tinsley sandstone quarry has moved to the courts. Formally joining SOCM, or renewing your membership is crucial to our legal strategy. SOCM (Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment) is a fifty year old, well respected, and highly effective grassroots policy advocacy organization. It is comprised of a coalition of community level groups just like Stop Jumpoff Quarry, working to challenge exploitative environmental practices, and other abuses of government and corporate power. You can learn more about SOCM, here: https://www.socm.org/get-involved

If you choose to join, please select the Grundy-Marion-Franklin chapter from the list of chapters to affiliate with.

Also, if you have not yet donated to the fund that covers our legal and professional fees, please consider doing so now. Every donation no matter how small, helps us fight the quarry development. All donations are now made through SOCM, and our SOCM chapter. Donations to SOCM are tax deductible. You can donate online here and when you do so, PLEASE REQUEST THAT THE DONATION GO TO THE STOP JUMPOFF QUARRY CAMPAIGN https://secure.everyaction.com/unE6S2Wrw0uWtO6SBsjX0g2

If you would prefer to send a check, you can mail a check to the following address.

SOCM, P. O. Box 12667,
Knoxville, TN 37912-0667

PLEASE REQUEST THAT THE DONATION GO TO THE STOP JUMPOFF QUARRY CAMPAIGN on the memo line of the check.

NEWS UPDATE 4/4/24

As you may know, in November 2023, a majority of the Marion County commission voted against adopting the County Powers Act (note that our district commissioners supported us), and thus failed to protect the Jump Off community from industrial developments like a sand quarry.

In January, the land and quarry owner, Tinsley Asphalt Corporation, applied for two general permits. Many Jumpoff and Sewanee residents responded by contacting the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to oppose the development. Unfortunately, despite our vigorous response, TDEC has approved the two permits, giving Tinsley a green light to begin development.

We and our legal team have been tracking all developments carefully, and continue to use every avenue available to us to slow down this process and stop the quarry.

Here are four ways to help us continue the fight:

* Continue to contact TDEC with any questions or concerns you have about the quarry, its potential operations, and its potential effects on our land, water, air, and roadways. Their regional office is at 1301 Riverfront Parkway | Suite #206 | Chattanooga, TN 37402 | Phone: (423) 634-5745 | email of the Regional Director: [email protected]. The general comment online form is here:

 “Ask TDEC” form: https://www.tn.gov/environment/ask-tdec-form.html   

* JOIN our Google group (email [email protected] and request to be added) to stay informed and VOLUNTEER to help if you have time, and DONATE to the fund that SOCM is maintaining for us. Your donations allow us to continue to pay for the expert legal and scientific advice we are receiving.

https://secure.everyaction.com/unE6S2Wrw0uWtO6SBsjX0g2

You can also mail a check to SOCM here:

SOCM
P.O. Box 12667
Knoxville, TN 37912

Please designate JUMPOFF LEGAL FUND on the check so SOCM knows it is for us

* For residents on well water within a mile of the quarry site, we encourage you to get your water tested NOW before operations start. You can find detailed instructions on how to do this on this site, under the “Citizens Guide” link above.

* If you live in Marion County, attend the Marion County Commission meetings and/or the Marion County Planning board meetings. Find the location and dates of Commission meetings on the link above (Marion County Commission meetings)

NEWS UPDATE 2/22/24

Conservation Education Day at the State capitol February 27-28th 2024

Join members of Stop Jumpoff Quarry and other environment and conservation organizations in Nashville at the State capitol February 27th and 28th for Conservation Education Day. We will engage our state legislators about the importance of conserving and protecting Tennessee’s natural treasures!

You can find out more about the event from our friends at the Sierra Club here https://www.sierraclub.org/tennessee/middle-tennessee/conservation-education-day#:~:text=February%2027%2D28%2C%202024,which%20would%20do%20it%20harm

NEWS UPDATE URGENT 2/11

Call to Action Marion and Franklin County residents

Tinsley Corporation has filed permit applications with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to move forward on developing the Jumpoff sandstone quarry site on 156/Jump Off Road. Now is the time to send a letter to TDEC! Snail mail is best (see address below) as TDEC will register and upload the letter on their website, and post their response.

Background: On Feb 8 2024, the Tinsley Corporation filed permit applications with the TDEC Division of Water Resources that are related to the proposed Jumpoff sandstone quarry. The permit number is TNR050785 and the applications can be found here: https://dataviewers.tdec.tn.gov/dataviewers/f?p=2005:34031:10035057356219:::34031:P34031_SITE_ID:178476

(See the proposed land use plan for the quarry posted below).

Tinsley seeks to get covered by statewide general permits, rather than be required to file individual permits which is more time consuming, costlier, and draws more scrutiny. General permits do not have the same opportunities for public comment or hearings as individual permits.

You can read more about the guidelines for covering developments such as a sand quarry under a statewide general permit for stormwater discharge here: https://www.tn.gov/environment/permit-permits/water-permits1/npdes-permits1/npdes-stormwater-permitting-program/npdes-stormwater-construction-permit.html

and for general aquatic resource alteration here: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/environment/water/natural-resources-unit/water_permit_arap-gp_minor-wetlands-2020-2025.pdf

Because public input and hearings are limited in the general statewide permit process, we need residents to SPEAK OUT now and let TDEC know that the proposed Jumpoff sand plant SHOULD NOT be covered under the STATEWIDE GENERAL permitting process for Stormwater discharge (the NPDES/TMSP) or General aquatic resource alteration (the ARAP). The environmental damage, and threat to residents health and safety from the quarry will be substantial, and thus, Tinsely should not qualify for a general permit. Instead, Tinsley should be required to file individual permits for each part of the development of the property so that local residents have the opportunity to call attention to the human and environmental costs associated with quarry developments!

Contact information for TDEC

Preferred mode of contact is a letter to:

Division of Water Resources, William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower, 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 11th Floor, Nashville, Tennessee 37243, Attn: Mr. Daniel Lawrence

You may also email TDEC questions and comments here: “Ask TDEC” email submission form: https://www.tn.gov/environment/ask-tdec-form.html   

Or call TDEC toll-free at 1-888-891-8332

Some proposed talking points for letters:

Please let us know if your research uncovers additional arguments and data and we will share with others on this site.

Tinsley recently filed this Proposed Jumpoff quarry site plan
This is an enlarged map of critical areas of the quarry

News update 2/07/24

Grundy County residents stop Tinsley’s proposed Clouse Hill sand quarry!

In the case of Tinsley Properties LLC et al v. Grundy County, TN, the Court of Appeals of Tennessee in Nashville upheld the trial Court’s decision. The Court ruled in favor of Grundy County’s right to deny an operating permit to Tinsley for the proposed Clouse Hill quarry based upon a county resolution limiting the siting of quarries within 5000 feet of a residence and certain other types of establishments. The County was able to pass the resolution after opting in to the County Powers Act, a Tennessee statute that allows county governments to regulate certain types of nuisance activities in unincorporated areas of the county. Congratulations Grundy County and all of the residents who organized this effort to stop the Clouse Hill quarry! You can read the majority opinion of the Court here:

https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/court-appeals/opinions/2024/02/08/tinsley-properties-llc-et-al-v-grundy-county-tennessee

News Update 1/24/24

Stop Jumpoff Quarry community strategy meeting a success!

On January 13th 2024 over 30 highly committed community members gathered in Kennerly Hall in Sewanee to enjoy a potluck of wonderful food, and discuss strategy to STOP the JUMP OFF QUARRY. Led by SOCM (Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment) organizers Adam and Austin, attendees considered our goals, resources and next steps for advancing collective action to stop the Tinsley quarry on SR156 Jumpoff Road. We voted to form a chapter, and request membership in the SOCM grassroots network of community organizations.

News Update 11/29/23

On November 27th 2023, most Marion County commissioners voted NO to the resolution adopting the County Powers Act, disregarding the health and safety concerns of the Jumpoff community. You can read about it in this excellent article by reporter Leslie Lytle in the Sewanee Messenger: https://www.sewaneemessenger.com/headlines/?post_id=2845&title=marion-county-commission-quashes-sand-plant-opposition.

As Tinsley Asphalt moves forward with permit applications, there may be opportunities for public comment. Please check back with this website or our Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/StopTheJumpOffQuarry for information on the schedule of public hearings, and other opportunities to stay involved, and stop the quarry.

Sand quarries….

may harm wells of nearby residents who have NO OTHER SOURCE OF WATER

Sand quarries….

Can damage the integrity of walls and foundations of nearby homes

Sand quarries

Dramatically increase the amount of heavy truck traffic. The Jumpoff quarry will generate 100 truck trips PER DAY on 156 and 41A

Have Questions?

Frequently Asked
Questions

What is the proposed Jumpoff sand plant? 

The Tinsley Asphalt company has a real estate contract on a 150 acre piece of prime farm/field/forest land on Hwy 156/Jumpoff Hywy. The site is in a residential corridor of homes and farms. There are no other heavy commercial or industrial businesses in this area.

We need sand to construct roads and buildings. Why are Jumpoff residents opposed to the sand plant?

Sand and other aggregates are necessary components of a lot of important products and infrastructure that we rely on every day. But sand quarries are heavy industrial enterprises and do not belong in residential corridors sited next to people’s homes, farms, and small businesses. Sand and rock quarries should be sited near other industrial and manufacturing facilities, not where children wait for their school buses and fire trucks and ambulances have to get to emergencies.

Tinsley says that it will be a good corporate citizen, and no harm will come to nearby residents. Why not take Tinsley at its word? 

Franklin, Grundy and Marion residents already have experience with sand plants owned by Tinsley and other companies, and have many serious complaints. Existing plants use explosives to blast through the earth. The blast is not only extremely loud, but it shakes homes with such force that it can cause damage to the integrity of walls, ceilings and foundations.
Blasting can also affect water quality in nearby wells. Residents in unincorporated rural areas like Jumpoff do not have access to other sources of water, like folks living in cities. If our wells are damaged, we won’t have any water and our properties become worthless.

Tinsley says a sand quarry will bring 25 new jobs and “try” to hire qualified Marion county residents for them, stimulating the county’s economy.

Maybe, but there are substantial costs to putting a sand quarry on a rural tract of pristine land near homes and farms–and Tinsley will either not pay those costs or will actually profit from the damage.
Sand plants require heavy trucks for transport. Tinsley has confirmed that when fully operational, the plant will generate an ADDITIONAL 100 TRUCK TRIPS PER DAY on 156 and 41A. Our narrow rural and mountain roads weren’t built to take heavy industrial truck traffic. There are no shoulders along most of SR156 which results in crumbling road sides. Our tax dollars will go towards rebuilding roads damaged from Tinsley’s heavy truck traffic. Like in Franklin County, Tinsley will likely secure the contract to repair the damaged roads!
To get at the sand, Tinsley will have to clear cut and blast the tract, destroying existing wildlife habitat. Pollutants generated from the clear cut and the quarry operation will run off into the Jumpoff Falls watershed and beyond (all the way down to Battle Creek in the valley and then into the Tennessee River, which may violate the federal Clean Water Act. 

I believe in limited government. Why should we give the Marion County Commission more power?

The County Powers Act is a tool available to county governments in Tennessee to regulate businesses in unincorporated areas that may pose a threat to human health and safety, or infringe on homeowners property rights. The Act can not be used to regulate agricultural activities–agriculture is a specially protected sector in Tennessee, as it should be. Grundy County was smart and adopted the Act in 2019. This enabled Grundy County to challenge the Tinsley Asphalt company’s plan to develop a sand quarry at the Clouse Hill site, thereby protecting county residents from the harmful effects of a quarry operation in close proximity to homes and schools.
Without the Powers Act, the only recourse that residents who have been harmed by Tinsley’s operation will have, is a lawsuit. Tinsley has more resources than most of us put together. The company fought residents of Franklin County for nine years and in the end, they won, developing a limestone quarry that negatively affects the health and safety of nearby residents.

What can I do to help stop the Jumpoff quarry? 

  • Stay informed about, and attend upcoming public hearings. We will update the community with date/time/location as meetings are scheduled
  • If you would like to connect to other volunteers, and have time, or expertise (e.g. legal, engineering, environmental) to contribute to this effort, please reach out and let us know by sending an email to [email protected]  and request to be added to the google group. 
  • Share this website and information about the campaign with friends and family in Grundy, Franklin, and Marion counties. Anyone who lives or drives on roads near the proposed quarry site will be negatively affected.

To find out how you can get involved in stopping the Jumpoff quarry, join our Google Group by emailing [email protected] and request to be added to the group. Please provide your full name, address, phone number and preferred email address.

  1. He states: A quick glance at the water well drilling records maintained by the state of Tennessee (or in conversations with well drillers) reveals that the average yield of wells on the Plateau is between 3 and 5 gallons per minute. This might prove satisfactory if one has the ability to store the well water in a large tank, but this does not suffice for a household pumping the water directly from the well into the house. The reason for these low yields is primarily due to the fact that the sandstones and shales of the upper Cumberland Plateau have relatively low permeability. Water travels through these layers mainly along fractures and one must be fortunate enough to have a well that intersects these fractures. Predicting where these fractures are found in the subsurface is not possible. Compare these yields to those from wells drilled in the valley surrounding the Plateau, where wells often produce from 80 to 100 gallons per minute. This increased production is due to the fact that valley wells are drilled into very permeable limestone that is honeycombed with caves and passageways filled with water. Drilling deeper on the Plateau down into the limestone will not increase yield, since caves and associated passageways do not extend beneath the sandstone cap of the Plateau.https://sewaneewater.com/2016/05/11/why-weve-pulled-the-plug-on-well-water-on-the-plateau/ ↩︎