Grinding Plowshares into Gravel

It's the Pits!  Eugene Sand & Gravel vs Farmland - A report on the March 29, 2000 Town Hall meeting, hosted by the CPA.

by Wanda Ballentine

[The following reflects the author's impressions of the meeting. Corrections and or additions are welcome.]

CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL

The amount of Class I and Class II soil involved, that the site has at least 60 ft. of gravel, the economic impact on the adjacent areas, and a proven need of gravel in the area.

PRIME FARM LAND

Farmer Paul Atkinson is an avid advocate of preserving our best farmland and has been studying soil maps of the area that make one want to weep.  Most of the state's Class I and Class II soils are in the Willamette Valley, and almost all have already been paved over for development -- the County Commission just recently approved two more developments on prime farmland: the airport expansion, and the Springfield sports arena.   

There are two large areas of Class I and Class II in the proposed Eugene Sand & Gravel site; both would make the project unacceptable according to this criteria, but in order to meet it, Eugene Sand & Gravel has included a larger area of less valuable soil to drop the percentage of prime land in the whole site.

Eugene Sand & Gravel insists we need gravel for roads and home building.  But food is a more essential need, and if we're going to have to truck goods in, it is certainly wiser to truck in gravel than food over long distances.  Sustainability is the much talked about goal; surely providing food locally tops the sustainability list.

AMOUNT OF GRAVEL

As noted, there is a requirement of a depth of at least 60 feet of available gravel.  After looking at Eugene Sand & Gravel's 11 core samples (and noting there should be twice that many), Geologist Mark Reed's  reading is that there is only 53 feet available. Since Eugene Sand & Gravel has offered that two of the pits will be wet pits to alleviate flooding potential, however, techniques for wet mining will only allow mining to a depth of 22 feet.

AVAILABILITY OF GRAVEL

Another criteria for the plan's approval is that there must be a proven need for gravel that overrides the need for prime farmland in the area.  There are three other gravel companies in the area, Wildish, Delta & Egge, all of whom have a sufficient supply for the foreseeable future, and whose permits  for the future were put in place some time ago.  Eugene Sand & Gravel still has gravel in its pit, but not of high quality; they still have lots of lower quality that can be mined. Although they knew they would be running out 30 years ago, they are only now addressing the problem.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

Dust: The impacts of dust on crops are enormous and will greatly increase the farmers' costs.

*Inhibits photosynthesis, a major function of plant growth.

*Decreases the effects of herbicides and pesticides (all farmers interviewed on the video said they were organic farmers, so I presume we're talking organic substances here), requiring more frequent application and greater cost.

*Some substances used in the mining process and emissions from the asphalt plant are toxic and carcinogenic and will be carried in the dust, harming both crops and workers, and can increase the number of seedlings that die and adversely impact the testing of new species.

*Dust affects bees by coating their sensory organs and breathing apparatus. A local beekeeper whose bees pollinate local farms has said that he will remove the hives from the area if the gravel pit comes in.

*Discolors and darkens some crops, reducing salability.

*Gathers on greenhouse windows, obscuring sunlight and heat to the plants inside.

*Will require much more washing of produce at great expense. Washing berries, in particular, reduces their shelf life from 24 to 3 hours.

*Crop rotation is utilized for soil and plant health, but in order to protect the most sensitive crops, rotation would have to be altered.

Wells - Everyone in the area relies on wells for their source of water. In order to keep the dry gravel pits dry, Eugene Sand & Gravel must continually pump water out of them, thereby lowering the water level of all local wells. Eugene Sand & Gravel has said it will put the water back in the wells, but they will still drop 10-15' and nitrate levels will change.  As one farmer asked, "Who will dig new wells and pay for the electricity necessary to pump them?"

Flooding - The video showed many views of the proposed pit area in different seasons. The area usually floods three or four times a year, even during mild winters such as we recently had. The digging of huge gravel pits will require 20' high berms around them in order to keep the water from going into the pits, thereby displacing a tremendous amount of water. This means that much more of the surrounding area will be inundated, endangering homes and farms. 

Randy Henderson, owner of Thistledown Farm, noted that the water tends to run fast during the winter and will run even faster with less area in which to spread. "What will happen when the water hits that wall?" he asked. In heavy winters, flooding  can now reach all the way to Brown's Landing near Junction City. Increased flooding will inevitably be very damaging. Add to this the fact that global warming is creating increased climate instability that can increase flooding.

Eugene Sand & Gravel's response to this threat is that two of the pits dug will be "wet pits," where mining will be done under water. However, geologist Mark Reed reported that during a 100-year flood, when a much larger area would be inundated, there is a very great chance that the existence of wet pits will cause the Willamette to change its course. The existence of the deep wet pits would form a natural channel where swift moving water would cut deeper. He showed slides of other areas in which this had happened.

Another major flooding concern involves the nearby Superfund site of buried toxics left by an irresponsible pesticide producer. The money to clean up these sites ran out before the sites did, and this one was not cleaned up. The potential of more extensive flooding with deeper, faster water flows could release these substances.

One issue that was not discussed was the potential loss of top soil in flooding.

[It should also be noted that the berms around Eugene Sand & Gravel's current operation are not up to specifications and have leaked muddy water into the Willamette on several occasions. DEQ has been notified of this violation more than once and done nothing. Why?]

Traffic - Farmers are concerned that the additional traffic of huge trucks traveling from the area every 45 seconds, along with the added danger, noise, dust, and flying gravel that can pit windshields, will deter customers from coming to their farms which attract many visitors during the growing season. Besides the many who come as customers, schools bring children on field trips to learn about farming, and the annual pumpkin harvest is a big event.

Noise - Gravel pit machinery is extremely noisy and will totally alter the bucolic pleasure of farming for farmers, workers, visitors, and wild life. Lori Jenson of Lone Pine uses horse drawn carriages for visitor tours and is concerned that the horses will not be able to acclimate to the variety of noises produced, particularly occasional sudden, very loud noises.

Beacon Landing, the public area of the Willamette Greenway at that location, will be greatly affected by the noise and dust of the gravel pit operation.

Wildlife damage - Displaced wildlife, as they are pushed out of their normal habitats and seek other food sources, can cause damage to farmers' crops, such as deer chewing on seedlings. [Damage to wildlife habitat is covered below.]

Wildlife Habitat - Although the effects of the pits on wildlife and habitat are no longer considered in the criteria for approval, it is certainly a matter of consideration for the livability and sustainability of the community. Dave DeWitt of the Audubon Society reported that the wildlife habitat at the site is probably the richest in the county. 

There is a rare stand of white oaks and a great variety of other trees, some more than 100 years old, a greater variety of birds in greater numbers than anywhere else. There are an estimated 200 species of plant and animals, including migratory water fowl for whom there are few places left, red legged frogs, and the Western Pond turtle, listed under the Endangered Species Act as a "Species of Concern," meaning they are being studied for possible future listing as threatened or endangered. They are listed in Oregon by the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife as "Sensitive-Critical."

Jobs  - Considering the potential costs, not only monetary but otherwise, the economic impacts on local farmers, and thus on local consumers, is enormous. Eugene Sand & Gravel talks about the jobs lost to the community if the project is not approved, but it appears clear that the impacts may well drive farmers out of business along with related jobs, to say nothing of the costs inherent in the degradation of the area.

Eugene Sand & Gravel promotes itself as a good employer which treats its workers well. Labor issues were not discussed at the forum, but it is a fact that Eugene Sand & Gravel broke the union in 1996. While workers who work for Eugene Sand & Gravel want to see this pit go in, many involved in community labor issues and familiar with the company's tactics are opposed to the project. 

In order to stay competitive, Eugene Sand & Gravel does pay its workers well, commensurate with union wages, but its benefits and labor rights are poor, and it can hire contract workers at lower wages with no benefits.

THE LARGER PICTURE

There were Eugene Sand & Gravel workers in the Town Hall audience, many of whom seemed surprised to learn some of the possible consequences of the project. One man asked if any thought were being given to alternatives for Eugene Sand & Gravel jobs, or if there were alternative sites for a gravel pit. Another pointed out to the audience that although they might dislike the pit, they all want asphalt for their roads and concrete for the foundations of their houses.

As Paul Atkinson pointed out, the loss of Class I and Class II lands is criminal; once lost, they're gone forever. These are gifts we should be protecting. We need to rethink our priorities, what we really need, how we should be using our resources, and about new ways of meeting needs for things such as roads and housing. 

Most of us had no idea of the true cost of the gravel that makes up the infrastructure, just as for many years, we had no idea of the true costs of the automobiles we had fallen in love with. The costs of pollution, health problems, environmental degradation, etc., have been externalized, not included in the price we pay for these things. Economic theory states that people make choices based on desire vs. cost -- but to make informed decisions, they must be given accurate pricing information, and that has been long in coming.

The bills are now coming due. We do have to rethink the way we do things. It will indeed cost more to truck gravel in from other areas that don't degrade farmland and rivers, but degraded farmland and rivers are an enormous cost to pay for cheaper gravel.

GROWTH

Ultimately, it once again comes down to growth. More and more people making more and more demands on dwindling resources puts us all on a collision course, and conflicts such as gravel pit versus agriculture will continue to occur. Yet people still insist that growth is 'inevitable'.

It is, however, equally 'inevitable' that the population cannot continue to grow. Nature has her own restrictions, and they aren't pretty. We put a man on the moon; we invented the concept of democracy (still largely untried); we are masters of engineering feats and technological wonders. Why the hell can't we do anything about growth?

In 1994, Cornell biologist, David Pimentel calculated that the Earth could permanently support two billion people living a current middle-class lifestyle -- and we're already over six billion. The amount of land each of us lives on is a fraction of the amount of land whose resources we use -- our 'ecological footprint' - is, I believe, about 1/16th.

We need governments which, instead of promoting growth as the answer to economic problems, inform us as to the true costs of growth -- in taxes (cost of services outdistances revenues), in infrastructure, in congestion, pollution, conflicts, in the decline of the quality of life. 

It is estimated that the cost of raising as child is $1.4 million -- that information should be everywhere. Free family planning and contraceptives should be available to all. Instead, we have Rep. Shannon standing up in the Oregon legislature thumbing her nose at 'liberal' representatives pushing for such heresy, and telling them that the Right will win because they're going to have lots of babies. There's a vision for you.

WHAT TO DO

Attend one of the three public hearings April 4, 11, & 18, and submit testimony, preferably written:

7 pm - Lane County Planning Commission Public Hearings on proposed gravel pit/asphalt plant on River Rd. North Eugene High School Auditorium, 200 Silver Ln.  Proposal to amend the 'Significant Mineral and Aggregate Resources Inventory' of Rural Comprehensive Plan to allow mining pursuant to Goal 5 Oregon Administrative Rules; amend Rural Comprehensive Plan from 'Agriculture' to 'Natural Resource' and rezone lands from 'E30/Exclusive Farm Use Zone' to 'SG/Sand, Gravel and Rock Products Zone' for 575 acres. Contact: Janey Barnes-Wiederhold, 682-3656.

Testimony should be submitted to Lane County Land Management Division, referencing the Eugene Sand & Gravel Application (File No. PA-99-5996): Att: Thom Lanfear, Lane County Land Management Division, Public Service Building, 125 East 8th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon 97401.  thom.lanfear@co.lane.or.us. 

Send copies to the Lane County Planning Commission and the Lane County Board of Commissioners both located at 125 East 8th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon 97401.

Bobby.Green@co.lane.or.us 
Bill.Dwyer@co.lane.or.us  
Anna.Morrison@co.lane.or.us  
Cindy.Weeldreyer@co.lane.or.us  
Peter.Sorenson@co.lane.or.us  

[Note: The old adage that 'a picture is worth a thousand words' was dramatically illustrated in the CPA Town Hall by the excellent video, compiled by Will Doolittle, which brought the arguments against the pit wonderfully to life. Will is submitting the video as testimony, and I suggest everyone urge the Commissioners to look at it. I also hope it will be aired on TV. If people want to call Will for a copy, his number is 345-5739.]