To keep up to date with this breakdown of news in the United States and Canada, visit www.AggMan.com for daily updates.

By Aggregates Manager Staff

Connecticut

The Bridgeport Airport Commission is expected to approve the sale of 6.7 acres to Mark IV Construction Co. The Connecticut Post reports that the operator has already put down 10 percent of the $350,000 purchase price. The site is zoned for light industrial use, and a gravel operation, operated by Burns Construction, is already along the same stretch of road. In late May, Mark IV signed an agreement with the city of Bridgeport to end its rock crushing operation on Seaview Ave., to remove its heavy equipment, and to clean up the site by Dec. 1. No permits have yet been filed for operations at the new site.

Florida

Martin Marietta’s plan to develop a facility in Deland is likely to be debated in circuit court, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Previously, the Volusia County Council voted 3-3 to overturn the county staff’s decision in favor of Martin Marietta’s request to build a storage and distribution facility. The council’s split vote was considered a denial of an appeal by neighboring landowner Glenwood Properties LLC. Martin Marietta originally sought approval to build an aggregates plant and batch plant, but scaled back its request due to resistance from Glenwood Properties and other neighbors. The company has filed two suits against the county arguing that the appeal and rehearing should never have been heard by the council and requesting a court order to issue permits for the company to start construction.

Iowa

In mid-May, the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission approved the new General Permit #5, which allows discharges of surface waters of Iowa from quarries and sand and gravel operations. According to Rockbuster News, a publication produced by the Iowa Limestone Producers Association (ILPA), ILPA worked closely with regulators and supports the new permit, which became necessary when previous Total Dissolved Solids limits were replaced by a formula that includes sulfate, chloride, and hardness. The new permit maintains previous regulatory limits regarding discharges of suspended solids and pH. Total suspended solids limits are 45 mg/l per day or a 30-day average of 30 mg/l. The pH must stay between 6.5 and 9.0. Any discharge with a sulfate concentration greater than 1,514 mg/l will push the applicant to an individual permit. In addition, the definition of storm water discharge associated with industrial activity was reduced from 4 acres to 1 acre, reflecting current federal and state regulations.

Massachusetts

State Attorney General George Jepsen has joined the battle over a proposal by Century Acquistions to add hot-mix asphalt to its operations in Ashley Falls. According to the Waterbury Republican American, Jepsen wrote a letter to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection attorney Christine LeBel urging the agency to address the concerns of neighboring property owners who “expect to be directly, significantly, and adversely affected by its operations.”

Missouri

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) allowed heavy loads of sand and gravel on certain highways to help with battling floods on the Missouri River and other waterways, The Independent reports. Truck drivers were allowed to carry up to 10 percent more than their licensed weight, but the loads were not allowed on interstate highways and other roadways that have been designated national defense routes. MoDOT did not require permits for the overweight loads. The waiver was in effect until June 30.

Montana

As rising waters and flood threats grew in early June, Lewis & Clark County officials diverted water from Prickly Pear Crick into Helena Sand and Gravel’s sand pit. 9KXLH.com reports that the creek peaked the week of June 5 when an earthen dam broke and sent massive amounts of water into East Helena. An irrigation ditch became a small waterway, and it was that water that was diverted to the Helena Sand and Gravel pit. Water levels in the pit were being monitored on a daily basis.