ACTION Needed by May 22

Martin Marietta Materials Castle Hayne Quarry Expansion Request

Martin Marietta is seeking permission to expand the mining on its 1,400-acre quarry between Holly Shelter Road and the Northeast Cape Fear River east of Castle Hayne.

The proposed quarry expansion would impact nearly 143 acres of wetlands − more than twice the size of Wilmington's Halyburton Park − and 9.7 acres of open water, to allow the company to access additional underground limestone reserves used in the building of roads, driveways, and fill for other construction projects. The waters surrounding the quarry—Island Creek and the Northeast Cape Fear River—are critically important fish habitat that will be harmed by its expansion. These adverse impacts, plus the loss of wildlife habitat, degradation of groundwater, harm to neighboring wetlands, reduction of flood abatement capacity, and loss of recreational opportunities, will all directly impact members of the Castle Hayne community as well as the greater Cape Fear region in general.

The public has until May 22 (timeframe extended from the original April 30th deadline) to send in comments. We urge you to send your comments to:

US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): Brad Shaver, Project Manager, Wilmington District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - brad.e.shaver@usace.army.mil or via mail - 69 Darlington Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403

NCDEQ Staff: Richard Rogers, richard.rogers@deq.nc.gov and Stephanie Goss, stephanie.goss@deq.nc.gov