Yet another large blast under the hill has literally sent shock waves across part of the community. The explosion occurred in the Snow Hill area, and shook houses, dislodged furniture, and frightened several homeowners.
The incident occurred last Wednesday afternoon, at around 2:30 pm, when local residents reported feeling the ground shake and a loud boom.
One witness, Lucas Antoniak of Snow Hill, reported, “We felt an intense blast and our entire house shook violently. My wife said she saw the floor in the room she was in ‘roll.’ My daughter saw the everything and I was working at my (quite-sturdy) workbench desk and it shook very intensely, lasting 5-10 seconds. I could feel the vibrations through the floor. We thought it was an earthquake, but we did hear a boom coming from the north. The shaking was nothing like I’d ever felt before and it was difficult for me to replicate the shaking on my own. I called the Dekalb sheriff’s office to report and they noted the event.”
“After, I hopped in the car and drove down Highway 70 to see what it could be. About three-quarters of a mile from us, on Highway 70, I saw a plume of smoke or dust. I could smell Sulphur in the air and there were rocks in the road (Highway 70) that were softball sized.”
Antoniak said that he later learned that SRM Concrete had a new rock quarry on North Driver Road off of Highway 70, near where he had seen the dust cloud. He and his father then drove down North Driver Road and talked with the foreman of the operation, who claimed that the shock was a concussion wave from blasting.
Antoniak didn’t buy that it was simply a concussion wave, noting that the rocks that had fallen onto the highway could have seriously hurt someone. He also noted that neither he or his father noticed any signage indicating that blasting was taking place.
“I immediately called their (SRM Concrete) contact Lorie Smith and reported the explosion. Ms. Smith took down my information with a promise to return my call with more information, but I’ve heard nothing yet.”
Antoniak said he has filed a report with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, who confirmed that two complaints concerning the incident have been filed. They would not comment further siting that the matter is under investigation.
In another complaint, filed by Michael Anoniak, he reported meeting with the quarry foreman. “We met and spoke with a ‘Chad’ with SMR. He explained they were doing prep work for a quarry on 100 acres the company recently purchased there for a new rock quarry.”
“This was the first anyone knew about plans for a quarry at this location, 336 North Driver Road, Dowelltown. He was straightforward with all his answers and said they had just conducted a blast.”
“Also asserted there were no houses within 1200 feet. I explained my sister owned the property directly across road and her house, empty, is within about 600 feet. I later measured on Google Earth Pro, actually about 650 feet.”
Also advised him many neighbors were upset, calling back and forth about blast, how it shook their homes. etc, anxious to know the source. I did not see any sort of blasting mat and advised Chad there were rocks from the blast in the middle of the highway, which could have killed someone. When we drove out, he followed us in his truck, the rocks were still lying in center lane of highway. We drove down the highway. Later when we drove back that way the rocks were gone.”
Lucas said that all his neighbors felt the blast, some more than others. “Our neighbors two houses up from us, Linda Hendrixson and her mother, reported to my mom their TV falling off the wall. Jeff Vanatta, who lives on Dale Ridge, reported to my parents: ‘Shook our house on Dale Ridge, loudest blast we’ve ever experienced, CRAZY.’”
“All of the neighbors we’ve spoken to reported feeling the blast and at least some were pretty scared by it. It appears no one locally knew about this incoming quarry, including our local county commissioner, Myron Rhody. His wife felt the blast as well, they are a mile further up the road from us.”
The Smithville Review was able to talk with a representative at SRM Concrete, who said they had not heard of the incident, but would investigate further. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is also looking into the incident.
With over 8,500 team members, SRM Concrete is the largest ready-mix concrete manufacturer in the country. Established in 1999 by Mike and Melissa Hollingshead in Smyrna, Tennessee, the family-owned company owns and operates an expansive network of ready-mix concrete plants, quarries, cement terminals, and other ancillary services across 19 states. SRM Concrete focuses on producing and providing building material services across the commercial and residential construction segments.
In the State of Tennessee, blasting is limited to daylight hours and is prohibited on Sundays.
When blasting within 1,000 feet of a dwelling, the operator must notify people involved at least one hour before and after the blast. Blasters should also use a plan of warning signals that can be seen or heard by everyone in the area.
All approaches to the blast area must be guarded against unauthorized entry before and after blasting.
The State Fire Marshal's Office (SFMO) enforces the Blasting Standards Act, which requires blasters, handlers, and blasting firms to be licensed. The SFMO also oversees the registration process for explosives, which requires people to obtain registration from the Department of Commerce and Insurance before purchasing or receiving explosives.
The Department of Commerce and Insurance must also receive notice of blasting operations at least 72 hours before they begin. Failure to provide the required notice can result in fines.
The airblast from blasting activities cannot exceed 140 decibels at the location of any dwelling, public building, school, church, or commercial or institutional building that is not owned or leased by the person doing the blasting.
