Long-term plans needed for gravel pit reclamation

To the editor:

If you see Mat-Su Borough Planning Commissioners Tom Healy, Tom Adams, and Brian Endle, please thank them for their votes denying the permitting for the proposed dump site at the gravel pit on the south end of Palmer. The three of them listened to the concerns of their constituents and represented scores of passionate neighbors living near this site who spoke out against it.

The Valley is peppered with gravel pits just waiting to be tapped by companies such as Central Monofill Services. During the more than 20 years we’ve lived here, we’ve had to fight against allowing all sorts of industrial projects — and even prisons — to locate in our backyard. No berm can cover up the potential damage and unsightly harm created by a dump, and who will be responsible for cleanup and loss of property values, let alone air quality and health issues? There seems to be no accountability.

Residents of the Valley need to speak out against allowing Anchorage (or any outside) trash to be transported and disposed of in our gravel pits, and we need a long-term plan for gravel pit owners to take responsibility for reclamation when the gravel source is exhausted. Transferring ownership of the pit should not release new owners from abiding by the stipulations set when the original mining permit was allowed.

Peggy Egelus

Palme