May 31, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
Shut down again?
Residents near the quarry location on North Driver Road at Snow Hill are again speaking out after learning that SRM Materials, LLC (Smyrna Ready Mix Smithville Quarry) for the third time in nine months allegedly has been ordered by the state to cease operations without the required National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the discharge of treated mine wastewater and storm water. SRM has filed an application for an NPDES permit but TDEC has apparently not yet approved it. Several people spoke out in person against TDEC granting the permit during a public hearing held in March at the county complex.
During Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting, Doug Walter of the second district addressed the county commission during the public comment period to bring awareness to the latest development and to urge enforcement of the county powers act.
“They (SRM) still don’t have a permit, and they started early in May. Citizens of the area contacted the state and for the third time the state had to shut them down for operating without a permit. I have heard that SRM has donated money to schools and potentially for the Jamboree to show good faith. But read the writing on the wall. This company has done basically what they want to do in Dowelltown since they first bought the property and blasted the next day,” said Walter. “This is not good corporate citizenship for the county and if you allow them to open the violations would probably continue within our county. I ask you to take the correct action and enforce the county powers act. Follow Grundy County’s lead and take up the fight. If you don’t I believe you are leaving yourself open for others to point out the lack of enforcement against SRM in this situation. The county mayor recently said in a meeting that they (SRM) are not in operation. I don’t see how you can grandfather a company that is not in operation at this time under the county powers act. You owe it to the citizens of this county to enforce the laws you passed be it a big or small fight and obviously this is going to be a big fight. This company has shown by their actions they don’t have a lot of regard for state, county, or local citizens. They do what they want with that quarry and we, the citizens of that area, are the ones who have had to contact the state to get them to stop. They don’t show enough respect to deserve being open and I think the county needs to take up the fight. When the time is right I am asking you to consider all the facts and not just the shiny thing they are doing up here in Smithville with money but what they are really doing in Dowelltown,” said Walter.
WJLE emailed a media inquiry this week to Jennifer Donnals, Senior Communications Advisor for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for a response about the latest citizen complaints regarding SRM.
She responded as follows: “SRM recently moved some equipment onto the site, but it is not operating on the site. When TDEC makes a final permitting decision, all citizens who participated in the public participation process will be notified of the decision,” said Donnals.
Neighbors in the Snow Hill area first became aware of SRM last summer after being shaken by a blast during the company’s prep work for the quarry at the site. Complaints were filed with the state and county. In August the state found that SRM had been crushing without issuance of an NPDES permit. (Inspection in response to a citizen concern regarding blasting debris and mining activities. Mining staff confirmed the presence of rock processing equipment on site and newly blasted limestone without permit coverage).
SRM submitted an application in September after which the site was determined to be inactive. (Inspection for Hydrological Determination (HD) Report received on September 12, 2024. Staff present included Daniel Lawrence, Bryan Epperson, Emily Bonts, and Rebecca Drennan. HD submittal was confirmed, though additional features further within the property were also identified and subsequently noted to the applicant. Site was not active at the time of inspection. Processing equipment was on site, as were several piles of crushed stone. All drainage was properly controlled. No discharge was occurring, and no condition of pollution was noted. Facility was out of compliance because a NPDES permit is not in place)
By November SRM was again found by the state to be in non-compliance for operating without a permit and halted activity at the site. (Processing rock without permit coverage. Mining activities on site have expanded since the last inspection via land clearing, and site entrances have been made accessible for construction and mine traffic).
According to the state, the permit application was deemed to be complete December 2 but SRM must wait until a permit is approved and in place before proceeding. SRM must also control drainage from the disturbed area.
County Commissioner Larry Green reported to the commission in April (last month) about a legal consultation he, County Mayor Matt Adcock, and County Attorney Hilton Conger had in Nashville recently with members of a law firm who has expertise in this area on where the county stands regarding enforcement of the County Powers Act.
Some members of the public have argued that three companies — the McMinnville Energy LLC cryptocurrency mining and the Jones Brothers and SRM quarries should be subject to the County Powers Act claiming they were not already “in operation” when the commission passed the local regulations last October.
“Their advice to us was to be patient and do nothing right now because the way the County Powers Act is written they (companies in question) have to do certain things before they can apply for a permit from us (county) and until they get those things done and go into operation we don’t have a case. They said you can’t get a cease and desist until they do something,” said Commissioner Green.
“Right now, they are not operating,” said County Mayor Adcock. “They are still in that period of trying to meet the prerequisites to be able to apply. Technically they are not violating anything because they are not in operation,” he said.