Rock crusher near youth camp could be 'crushed' by new legislation

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A controversial proposal for a new rock crusher in Burnet County is seeing new push back at the state capital.

On Wednesday, House Bill 3482 saw public comment at a Natural Resource committee hearing. The bill aims to make approval of the new plant, which shares a property line with Camp Longhorn and is within a few miles of Inks Lake and two state parks, more challenging.

"I'm really worried about the rock crusher, if it's built, if could hurt the land, the water and the animals around camp Longhorn," said 9-year-old Grace Fowler, who plans to attend Camp Longhorn this summer.

Rep. Ellen Troxclair, who represents Burnet County, authored the bill. "Of all the places we could be doing this, please don't ruin camp Longhorn. Please don't ruin Inks Lake, please don't ruin the Texas Hill Country," Troxclair said.

Quarry in Central Texas

The quarry, owned by Austin-based Asphalt Inc., would be just a few miles from Longhorn Caverns State Park, Inks Lake and Lake Buchanan.

“The reason a lot of them target this area is because of the rich resources associated with the Llano uplift geology,” said Mitchell Sodek, general manager of the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District.

The bill aims to complicate the permit process for mines and quarries by requiring an additional study to confirm the quarry will not harm lakes or state parks. The permit restriction only applies to permits approved by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA).

For these restriction to be in place, the proposed permit would have to meet three criteria:

• Be within four miles of a lake owned or operated by the LCRA
• Be within four miles of the entrances to two or more state parks or caverns operated by the Parks and Wildlife Department
• And be within two miles of a youth camp licensed by the Department of State Health Services

"I want to make it very clear that this is in no way an outright ban on quarries or mining operations," Troxclair said about the bill during the hearing.

Burnet County residents push back

"You've got a summer camp, you got two state parks, and this [company] wants to come right into the middle of that. I mean, that's giving the property rights of the people that are already here. It's taken our rights away," said Nan Manning, director of Camp Longhorn.

Manning said one of her concerns with how the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has approached the quarry proposal.

"Through the public meeting and seeing this again, you know we are positive that TCEQ has not been doing their homework," Manning said.

KXAN reached out to the TCEQ, but they were not available for an interview at the time.

"They really don't have any answers to any questions, and they're supposed to be representing the people in the community," said Randy Printz, who raises longhorns across the street from the proposed quarry.

Printz felt the the hearing went well, especially the equal focus on environmental and business impacts of the quarry proposal. "It was very nice to have the committee members ask questions on both sides," he said.

"There just has to be some respect for the people who have already been here for, you know, hundreds of years, to ensure that their businesses and that their homes aren't harmed," Troxclair said.

Sodek said several rock crushers and quarries make a home in Burnet County. Most of these are found along Highway 281 between Marble Falls and Burnet. The area is rich in limestone and granite, much of which is used for construction across Texas.