"From the lakes of Minnesota...to the hills of Tennessee...."..as Lee Greenwood's iconic song implies, the hills of historic Humphreys County are a treasure trove to locals and visitors alike who relish in the bucolic beauty of the backcountry, and the Duck River flowing through Hurricane Mills was deemed by National Geographic to be one of the most biodiverse rivers in the world as referenced in this article: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/green/story/2010/jan/27/tennessees-duck-river-in-national-geographic/3260/

No wonder Country Music Legend, Loretta Lynn chose Hurricane Mills TN as her home sweet home, and the scenic beauty and charm draws tourists from all over the world who come to the singer's ranch to enjoy concerts, horse trail riding, rafting, and the other outdoor amenities of country living:https://www.wideopencountry.com/loretta-lynns-ranch-tells-the-story-of-the-country-icons-life/ 

The area is also rich in history, with some of the most amazing artifacts that have been discovered in the U.S., including the famous Duck River Cache, found on a nearby farm in the county: http://lithiccastinglab.com/gallery-pages/2008februaryduckrivercachepage1.htm

The traditionally agrarian community has enjoyed the bounty of the Duck River, and its alluvial plain provides prime farmland, ideal for corn, soy, and other crops throughout the years. My grandad helped farm those lands in the past, as he farmed our own land nearby...but now Grandaddy is gone, and Hurricane Mills is in trouble. We need your help! 

A proposed sand and gravel mine project by Volunteer Sand a Gravel, affiliate of Winn Materials and parent company Vantacore, a huge mining corporation funded by Sun Capital: https://nrplp.com/business/aggregates-and-industrial-minerals/vantacore-ops/

We understand that aggregate is necessary and useful, but the proposed site would endanger the water quality of the Duck River and its fauna, as well as impact tourism and recreation by tourists who flock to the area for Loretta Lynn's Ranch.

At this juncture, TDEC is intent on approving a wastewater permit due to it's determination that the operation would cause de minimus degradation during normal operating hours; however, what TDEC is denying that they can consider, is the fact that this site sits in the middle of FEMA Zone A floodplain, adjacent to the exceptional waters of the Duck and Federally protected wetlands:  https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search?AddressQuery=Lot%201&2%20PALM%20BLVD%20Covington,%20LA#searchresultsanchor

During major flood events, the site is inundated with rushing floodwaters (as photographed/video courtesy of Swine Flew here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IICFxkuoRko ), and Volunteer Sand and Gravel intends to "remove the equipment" during flood events. The slurry pit would not be able to be moved, and possible river avulsion could occur at the worst, in the least, the erosion event would be disastrous, the slurry pit would evacuate into the exceptional waters of the Duck River, and prime farmland will vanish regardless. 

With or without a major flood disaster, the noise and air pollution to the environment, and extra sedimentation would be detrimental. The extra dust and traffic would clog Hurricane Mills in more ways than one, and lost forever, the prime farmland that once took care of our families and livestock would never be reclaimable.

Please stand with us to OPPOSE this mining in historic Hurricane Mills.

We already have a sand and gravel mine in the county, Chad Swallows already runs several operations that may supply aggregate throughout TV/KY, and Vantacore has the resources and funding to acquire a more suitable, terrace mining operation that would be more appropriate in today's climate (the safer way to mine aggregate vs floodplain mining). According to the TN H2O report: Other Acts Governing Federal Water Supply Projects and Actions
Water Resources Planning Act of 1965—Under the WRPA, as amended by the 2007 WRDA, “it is the policy of
the United States that all water resources projects should reflect national priorities, encourage economic
development, and protect the environment by
• seeking to maximize sustainable economic development;
• seeking to avoid the unwise use of floodplains and flood-prone areas, and minimizing adverse impacts and
vulnerabilities in any case in which a floodplain or flood-prone area must be used; and
• protecting and restoring the functions of natural systems and mitigating any unavoidable damage to natural
systems (42 USC § 1962 3[a])

How is destroying prime farmland reflecting our national priorities? How is destroying a farming community and turning a rural area into an industrial zone protecting our environment? We demand that all interested and involved entities and parties help us mitigate the damage before it begins and protect our irreplaceable Duck River watershed! 

President Trump, Governor Lee, Senators, and Agencies, this is TENNESSSEE'S priority, and this is AMERICA'S Priority, not simply a "local issue"-this affects folks who come from all over the world to enjoy Loretta Lynn's Ranch and the scenic Hurricane Mills, as well as the over 250k residents who depend on the Duck for their drinking water! 

Pease join us in opposing this project, a project that Erin Brockovich has deemed, "An environmental disaster in the making..." 

VOTERS ARE WATCHING

We also implore the Army Corps of Engineers to assess the potential damage to the infrastructure adjacent and that appropriate Environmental Impact Studies be performed in the area prior to any breaking ground, specifically to assay the impact of a sand and gravel mine in FEMA Flood Zone A DURING A MAJOR FLOOD EVENT since this is not an uncommon occurrence. 

The Duck has been deemed exceptional waters, and we insist our Leaders and Agencies help us keep them that way. We also implore any Conservation Groups vested in protecting the endangered species/biodiversity of the area to reach out and help us fight this proposal.

Please join the group Hurricane Mills Mining Opposition in our fight to protect the Duck River in Hurricane Mills TN to contact Opposition Leaders, and contact Maegan Bliss Gordon or other Leaders of Hurricane Mills Mining Opposition if you'd like to help (aka Mae Bliss on Facebook):https://www.wsmv.com/news/nearly-join-facebook-group-opposing-proposed-mine-in-hurricane-mills/article_1e5e8884-582d-11ea-9f11-2f0c25d735ea.html

TDEC Public Hearing will be held April 28th via videoconference due to Covid-19 stay at home mandate, and written comments will be accepted until May 8, 2020. 

Join the conference here to express your concern for water quality in the Duck River Watershed: Public Notice M2020-08 March 25, 2020 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Division of Water Resources, Mining Section, will hold the following public hearing pursuant to Rule 0400-40-05-.06 (8) of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. April 28, 2020 6:30 p.m. CDT Webex Conference In accordance with the current State of Emergency and State and Federal directives to avoid public gatherings, the Division will hold the public hearing described herein, via video-teleconference. Information on how to join the online public hearing is provided below. Those without internet access may join by phone or may provide written comments. The Division will hold a preliminary technical session with the public from 5:30-6:30 p.m. (central time) for discussion and review of the permit application and plans. The formal public hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. CDT. At the hearing, the Division will receive public comments concerning the proposed issuance of a NPDES permit to the following applicant: Company Information Site Information Mr. Chad Swallows, President Volunteer Sand and Gravel Quarry Volunteer Sand and Gravel, LLC 25 Burned House Road 750 Highway 99 Humphreys County Lewisburg, TN 37091 NPDES Permit TN0082236 (Draft) The draft permit is available on the Division’s Data Viewer at http://environmentonline.state.tn.us:8080/pls/enf_reports/f?p=9034:34001 This is a proposed new NPDES permit for a construction sand and gravel mine and processing facility located at latitude 35°56'11.46" and longitude -87°46'7.51". The facility consists of 126.59 acres and will discharge into an unnamed tributary to the Duck River. If you have any questions related to the proposed NPDES permit, contact Bonnie Craighead at (865) 594-5547 or Bonnie.Craighead@tn.gov.