Governor Abbott: Please Stop The Vulcan Quarry

This petition is an attempt to Stop a limestone quarry from being built in the Hill Country in Comal County Texas.  The site chosen for this quarry is the intersection of Highway 46 and FM 3009. The Vulcan Quarry raises several concerns for the residents who live here and that is why I am drafting this and sharing it in the hope we can prevent it from being built.

The concerns to be addressed in this petition are as follows:

1.  The location is too near to the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.

2.  The loss of homes and the Hill Country environment.

3.  The Migration breeding grounds of the Monarch Butterflies

1. The Edwards Aquifer: http://www.edwardsaquifer.net/

This Aquifer is the largest artesian aquifer in the world. The Recharge zone is the location where it reproduces fresh water that provides for much of central and southern Texas.  If the Vulcan Qurray is built the will be located in an area of a 1500 acer parcel directly atop the Recharge Zone. 

A Limestone quarry uses millions of gallions of water to mine the stone and the safe drinking water of the populations of the surrounding areas will be affected.

2. Loss of environment and homes

Many local residence are in fear that this quarry will cause them to lose their homes. Vulcan has begun linking its aggregates resources with processing plants using rail transport lines. At the present time there are no rail line that pass through this area. Rail lines would have to be constructed in order to connect them to current rail lines that do exist. Truck traffic would increase at an alarming rate unless rail lines are also added. I do not know if that is Vulan's plan but I do know of another already operating quarry in the area that uses them.  Construction on this scale will cause the loss of many homes and ranches. 

 The environment and air quality will suffer if this quarry is built. Partical pollution can increase and cases of respiratory illnesses will rise. The findings of a study of two communities in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico compared the pollution in 1 community not exposed to this kind of air pollution as opposed to a community that was exposed. There here are the research results on the study of health and quarries. I couldn't find a study performed in America.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3885176/


3. The Migration breeding grounds of the Monarch Butterflies

  Twice every year the residence of San Antonio, Austin and the Texas Hill country enjoy the visitation of The Monarch Butterflies as the make their long journey from Mexico to Canada in the Spring and from Canada to Mexico in the Fall.  The Monarchs stop in the Texas Hill Country to rest, feed and in the Fall  lay their eggs for the next generation of the Monarchs.  The Hill Country is their nursery.  It is of GREAT concern that 1500 acers of that nursery will be demolished if the Vulan quarry is constructed. We LOVE our Monarchs and they are already being reduced in numbers by herbicides that kill the Milkweed they feed on. Development has also reduced their ability to reproduce.  We all fear that is quarry will be another step toward the extinction of the Monarchs. For more information about these beautiful butterfilys please visit the link below:

https://www.saveourmonarchs.org/

One last place I would like to mention:

The Natural Bridge Caverns

I have hiked through the Natural Bridge Caverns and they are very cool! These caverns could be distroyed or severely damaged by blasting that would take place at the Vulan quarry. I suspect there are other Caverns that may exist that have not been discovered yet that will also be destroyed. Here is a link to their location:
https://naturalbridgecaverns.com/

I wanted to include some before and after pictures of quarry operations:

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=before+and+after+pictures+of+a+Quarry&backchip


Please sign this petiton to save the people and their homes, the fresh water we need to servive and the beautiful natural environment of the Texas Hill Country.  This will be presented to Govenor Abbott to show our opposition to the construction of this quarry in a residencial and farming area.

Thank you very much and God Bless