PABLO, Mont. — Residents near Pablo are worried about a proposed 32-acre gravel pit next door to their homes, as they believe it could bring increased truck traffic, dust and potential water contamination.
The proposed "Harding Pit" open-cut mining permit would operate for up to 14 years. Shawn Davis, who has called Pablo home for over 20 years, said he only learned about the project through social media.
"There's three of us on this lane and only one person was notified. I didn't receive anything—I found out about it on Facebook," Davis said.
Notice of the project went to residents within half a mile of the site.
"Where the gravel pit is proposed to be, I can throw a rock and hit it from my driveway," Davis said.
Neighbors Sheri Lien and Samantha Perkins share his concerns.
"We work really hard for what we have here, and for somebody to propose something like that literally in our backyard is frustrating," Lien said.
"It is going to be large and dirty, and it's going to affect this community in many different ways," Perkins said.
Residents have until Sept. 26 to request a public meeting, but at least 51% of the 138 residents in the area must respond for the meeting to take place.
WGM Group, the project manager, told MTN News they plan to address all public concerns and that the landowner intends to restore the area for future generations.
Because the pit sits on tribal land, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are conducting their own evaluation. Rich Janssen, head of the Natural Resources Department, said the tribe is also working toward the Sept. 26 deadline.
"Our process is to take that application, do our due diligence, and look at potential impacts to our resources and community," Janssen said.
"We're still in the infancy stage, doing what we need to do to see what those impacts are going to be," Janssen said.
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