Huger residents continue to stand against DonMar Sand Mines
At a Feb. 11 Berkeley County Council Land Use Committee meeting, a proposed DonMar Sand Mines zoning change was referred to County Council for its second of three readings.
Currently, the DonMar Sand Mines area is designated as an R-2 Zone. The proposal, if successful, will change the zone to Flex-1. According to the Berkeley County Zoning District Guidance, Flex-1 zones allow mining on conditional use and special exceptions, while R-2 zoning districts do not.
DonMar is attempting to conduct the zoning change to provide road access to their facility from Highway 41.
This has created a sense of anxiety among many residents of Huger, where the mine is located, because they believe the zoning change could open the door to the possibility of an expansion of the facility down the road, which they believe would negatively impact quality of life in terms of clean air and drinking water.
In the meeting, Councilman Kevin Cox, who previously voted against the zoning change prior to its first reading, said that he had a constructive discussion with the owner of the DonMar Sand Mines about residents’ concerns.
“I do realize there are some shallow wells in the area, but what the owner of the business has verbally talked about doing is paying the tap fees for the individuals who were within a half a mile of that property to ensure they have fresh drinking water and still putting back the money, the $60,000 that he had previously discussed putting back in case there were ever any future problems with mines,” he stated.
Cox added that one of his main concerns for the Huger citizens of the area is their access to clean drinking water, a common worry about the mine among the residents.
“There is Berkeley County water on Charity Church Road, in front of that piece of property,” Cox explained. “Also, there’s Berkeley County water on Highway 41, which is on the other side of that property. So, on two sides of the property, there’s already county water available. On the other side of the property is U.S. Forestry Land, which is the National Forest, which no one is living there. On the fourth side of the property, there is a water main going down that road, also.”
The Huger area is the site of several dirt mines and pits, already, as Cox noted. But, community members believe that their area has seen enough development, and want there to be no more expansions.
Councilman Steve Davis came out as a staunch opponent of the mine, in its current plan.
“I applaud Mr. Cox and his efforts to get fresh water,” Davis began. “That somewhat changes the equation, but at the end of the day, it’s still within the purview of the people that are really impacted, and those are the folks that live out there.”
“I challenge this council to stand up and do the right thing and to deny this… as it is currently constructed,” he added. “If changes are made in such a manner that the landowners in the community want to join into the discussion with the owner as in the manner that you [Cox] discussed with them, that’s somewhat different.”
Councilman Brandon Cox also announced his disapproval of the zoning change.
“We are talking about an almost 30-acre, 30-feet deep mine that I do believe will impact the residents of that area,” he said. “Maybe not aesthetically, maybe they’re going to get water, but there are other factors that we’re not going to see, that they’re going to see on a daily basis. This is a very large mine.”
This was a change in his previous position, as he voted to move the zoning change towards its first reading.
Councilman Jack Schurlknight showed skepticism, but wanted to see the zoning change move forward to its next reading to hear every viewpoint thoroughly.
“I appreciate the rural areas very much,” he said. “I like to leave them as close as they were, prior to all this development going on. But, we’ve got to find equilibrium somewhere in the middle on this thing. We’ve got to have material for these roads, and if we have to go all the way to Orangeburg or Columbia, you’re just putting more miles on our roads with these big trucks.”
Schurlknight advocated for a DHEC study of the area and the effects that more sand mines would bring.
The residents of Huger once again showed their tenacity against the subject, just as they did in a heated community forum at the Keith School Museum with DonMar consultants in December. The day after the meeting, where the residents showed representatives that they were not willing to compromise on the sand mine, DonMar pulled their application for expansion from Berkeley County.
Community representative Edward Beaufort-Cutner made an impassioned appeal to the county officials at the Feb. 11 meeting.
“It’s not just about water and the traffic conditions,” Beaufort-Cutner said, arguing with one of council’s main beliefs on the issue. “It’s about literally the decimation of the community, the growth of the community.”
“It’s like a tree,” he continued. “If you cut the roots, it won’t grow. If you go about digging holes in the ground, and that’s literally what they are [doing], that’s places forever decimated as useful, livable real estate. And who wants to grow a community in that?”
Resident Joey Forbes provided packets to council that highlight eight dirt mines and pits in the area, potential negative effects to the roads and aesthetics, while Beaufort-Cutner held up a petition against the mining operation, with 200 Huger resident signatures attached.
“[It’s] about our grandchildren and our great grandchildren having a place to live, which I’m sure each of you folks have the same interest for your families and for the generation next,” Beaufort-Cutner added.
The second reading for the zoning change will take place at the County Council meeting on Feb. 25. A lawsuit filed in March of 2018 against Berkeley County and the Berkeley County Board of Appeals by DonMar Sand Mines, in response to the county’s initial denial of the facility’s expansion request, is still pending and unresolved. According to court documents, a mediation was set to take place last month in the case.