THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!  We will let you know when the planning commission and board of supervisors schedule their meeting.  We need all to show up at the meetings to express their opposition. 

Hanover County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors will soon face a critical decision on the proposed Luck Stone quarry.

This decision will not only affect the families who live and travel daily on Verdon, Old Ridge, Teman, Beaverdam School, Beaverdam, and Hewlett Roads, but it will ripple across all of Hanover County. When hundreds of quarry trucks face delays on Verdon and Route 1, they will inevitably divert to alternate routes. The impact will spread to schools, commuters, and neighborhoods far beyond the quarry site.

If the quarry is denied, the community will at least know their months of time, energy, and personal resources were not spent in vain. Residents have already endured the stress and uncertainty of a project that threatens their way of life.

But if the quarry is approved, the consequences are permanent.

Who regulates quarries?
Quarries are nominally regulated by the Virginia Department of Energy (VDOE). However, VDOE does not enforce violations with meaningful penalties. At most, it can ask a quarry to correct problems. Many long-term quarry neighbors stop reporting issues entirely because they know nothing will be done. In fact, even destruction of cemeteries or environmental damage is usually treated as a minor misdemeanor. Once approved, a quarry in a neighborhood essentially operates without oversight.

What happens if Luck Stone quarry is approved?
The Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will return to their quiet neighborhoods. Luck Stone will profit. But the community will bear the costs:

Loss of Wells: Wells can fail or lose several feet of water due to blasting and aquifer disruption. Replacement costs are around $20,000 per well. Luck Stone admits it has never been held accountable for well damage in its 100-year history.  There are no limits on the number of blasts in the application.  Advance notice of blasts is not specified in the application.
Loss of Well Pumps:  Blasting at stone quarries creates powerful shock waves and vibrations that travel through the ground and into surrounding rock formations. The vibrations can widen existing cracks and loosen fine sediments, allowing silt, sand, or iron-rich particles to flow into nearby wells.  This destroys pumps.  A pump can cost $2,000 to $5,000.
·         Well Water Contamination • Rapid pressure shifts from blasting releases gases, causing water in wells to bubble or fizz. These disturbances, combined with loosened sediments, often results in cloudy, discolored, or “bubbling” water following quarry operations.  Well water contaminants and changes that make water undrinkable or unsafe are listed below.  Well water will need to be tested prior to blasting and after blasting to make sure it is drinkable.

·         Sediment/turbidity – loosened silt, sand, or clay makes water cloudy, gritty, and harder to disinfect.

·         Iron and manganese – naturally in rock, blasting can stir them up.  High levels cause reddish or black stains, metallic taste, and sometimes stomach upset.

·         Methane or carbon dioxide gas – released from underground pockets; can cause water to fizz, lower oxygen levels, and in extreme cases create safety risks in confined spaces.

·         Sulfur compounds (hydrogen sulfide) – sometimes released after rock disturbance; causes a “rotten egg” odor and can corrode pipes.

·         Bacteria – blasting can change flow paths, allowing surface water or shallow contamination to reach a well. That can introduce coliform bacteria or even E. coli.

·         pH changes – shifts in acidity/alkalinity can make water corrosive to plumbing and leach metals like lead or copper.

Loss of Health: Granite dust travels miles and is linked to serious respiratory illnesses. Children, seniors, and those with asthma or other conditions are at particular risk.
Loss of Mental Health: Constant blasting, truck noise, vibrations, and anxiety over water and health risks take a toll. 
Loss of Peaceful Enjoyment: Noise, traffic, blasting vibrations, air and water pollution will fundamentally change daily life.  It will erode the peaceful, rural nature of the neighborhood.
Loss of Property Value: Expect at least a 20% drop in home value – the largest single investment most families will ever make. That is 20% of net worth, erased.
Traffic Dangers: Hundreds of heavy trucks, many carrying explosives, will mix with school buses, commuters, and families. Railroad crossings and delays will worsen safety risks and travel times.
Community Uncertainty: Once industrial development is permitted here, what comes next?  A warehouse? Another quarry? Approval sets a precedent.
How will this affect ALL of Hanover County?

Roads: Verdon Road was not designed for industrial truck traffic. It will deteriorate rapidly, requiring constant repair. VDOT’s maintenance budget for Hanover will be disproportionately spent here, diverting resources from other county roads that desperately need attention.
Tax Burden: When VDOT’s budget falls short, Hanover taxpayers will foot the bill for repairs caused by quarry traffic, not for schools, parks, or other county needs.
Emergency Services: Fire and EMS response times will be slowed by truck congestion and rail crossings, affecting safety for everyone in the area.

Schools & Children: Increased truck traffic and quarry dust exposure will impact school bus safety and student health.
Long-term Planning: A quarry operates for decades. Once land is converted to industrial use, it is lost forever as residential or agricultural tax base. This undermines Hanover’s long-term growth and rural preservation goals.
The choice before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors is clear.

Hanover County Supervisors have a duty to protect the community’s health, safety and water resources.  To uphold that responsibility and maintain the public’s trust, they need to deny the CUP and SE for the proposed quarry, asphalt and concrete plants.