The Derry SMT Stone quarry has been closed by the State Department of Environmental Protection over concerns of dust coating everything in nearby communities.
The investigation was prompted by residents in Derry Township close to Blairsville who said that they were seeing dust coating everything outside, which raised some health concerns. That dust was tied to sandstone crushing at the quarry. The DEP inspection showed that water sprayers used to control dust spread were shut down due to maintenance issues, a crusher was not spraying rocks, and trucks were leaving the facility without tarps stopping dust flying around.
The DEP Air Quality division shut down operations until issues can be fixed, and they would hold quarterly inspections and install monitoring equipment to keep track on how much dust is being spread.
