Carver Earth Removal Committee, company misrepresent mining operations as “cranberry agriculture” to evade laws
Mining destroys forests, exposes people, Environmental Justice neighborhood to carcinogenic silica sand dust, truck hazards, noise, vibrations
Sand Mining for ‘Agriculture’ Has Been Going on Since 2016, with Another 5-Year Permit Applied for—No Cranberry Bogs in Sight
2024 Permit Covers 85 Acres and Allows the Removal of 4,045,500 Cubic Yards of Sand, Worth about $60 million dollars
Ongoing Project is Part of Over 200 Acres off Federal Road in Carver, Including Sand Mining at 59 Federal Road That Supplies Earth to Read Custom Soils at 46 Federal Road
Project will mine into Sole Source Aquifer to build a “surface reservoir”
Take Action!
Attend the Carver Earth Removal Committee
Public Hearing on Makepeace mining expansion permit
Dec 3rd, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Carver Town Hall, Main Street
TELL THEM TO STOP THIS PROJECT NOW!!!
Earth Removal Committee: Scott Hannula, Oiva Hannula Cranberry Co., Chair of the ERC: 508-866-4158 Members, John Mason: 508-465-0942 Dick Ward: 508-866-2829, Dick Ward: 508-317-2190 Roger Shores, Jr.: 508-465-0438
Earthremoval@carverma.gov
Complaints about traffic, sand dust, vibrations, zoning violations via Town portal to Building Inspector Rod Palmer.
“My community is being invaded by toxics and my town representatives are not taking my life and the lives of my neighbors into consideration.”
Cranberry Village resident, Carver Zoning Board of Appeals
Above: 59 Federal Road, Carver, MA View from Cranberry Village on 6/15/24
See Drone Video of AD Makepeace mining operation at 59 Federal Road here.
Makepeace mining at 59 Federal Road, next to Cranberry Village, Pine Tree Village, Deer Hill and Copper Lantern neighborhoods
A.D. Makepeace has been mining in South Carver for decades. The mines cover at least 2.1 square miles. Year after year it gets new permits from the Town of Carver Earth Removal Committee (ERC). The Committee is biased and has massive conflicts of interests. Read more here.
In July 2020, the ERC at the height of the COVID lock down gave Makepeace a permit under the Town Earth Removal Bylaw for the second largest sand mine a ever – 4.2 million cubic yards worth about $60 million in sand at today’s prices. (The largest mine is the 7.2 million cubic yard Makepeace mine in South Plymouth). Makepeace’s 2020 permit expires in 2025. So the ERC has to hold a public hearing to extend it. This hearing started on Oct. 2, 2024. Watch the Recording here. The hearing opens at minute 18:52. Makepeace’s consultant, William F. Madden of GAF Engineering presents the project as if it is “new” and makes misleading claims digging a “pond” — a ruse for a sand mine.
In November 2024, the ERC will vote on a permit allowing additional mining on 85 acres adjacent to residential neighborhoods. Makepeace began this mining operation in 2020 as an expansion of its solar project mining. The total mining area will encompass about 120 acres, with other active mines nearby at 46 Federal Road and at the intersection of Federal Road and Hammond Street.
For the 2024 permit Makepeace used same application used for the July 2020 permit. The ERC falsely claims this is a new project.
Makepeace’s Earth Removal Site Plans Here.
The second largest earth removal permit we have seen in SE Mass:
This project spans 85 acres and removes 4,045,000 cubic yards of sand. At about $16.25 dollars per cubic yard of sand, this project values at about $65,000,000 dollars. The same permit applied for and approved in 2020 was to be completed in 5 years. Now in 2024, the project plans are being copied and submitted again to continue sand mining for another 5 years. This is the largest ongoing sand mining operation since the Town of Plymouth approved the permit for 7,000,000 cubic yards of sand to AD Makepeace in 2014 for the Frogfoot river mine. Read about ADM’s sand mining project at Frogfoot Brook here.
The map below shows the total 200 acre site, outlined in yellow. About 90 acres have been mined since 2020. Outlined in red is the area they want to deforest and mine under the 2020 and the new 2024 permit. Outlined in blue is the proposed area for a new reservoir, which will dig into the aquifer. Outlined in green is the strip mine for a solar project that they completed without a permit.
The project abuts multiple residential areas including Cranberry Village, Pine Tree Village, Copper Lantern Lane, and Deer Hill Lane. Of these neighborhoods, two of them, Cranberry Village and Pine Tree Village, are environmental justice neighborhoods.
For comparison, this project is 4 times the size of SLT’s mine in Plympton/Carver, and is 4 times the size of the Collins Ave mine off Route 3 in Plymouth.
October 1, 2024 Public Hearing
“I have attended almost every Earth Removal Committee meeting since 2021,” said Meg Sheehan, environmental attorney for Community Land and Water Coalition. “I have heard every cranberry company, trucking company and the Earth Removal Commitee members misrepresent massive sand mining projects as “cranberry agriculture” or “subdivisions.” These are half-truths and part of a coordinated effort to strategically misrepresent sand mining to evade local bylaws” Sheehan said.
During the October 1, 2024 public hearing on Makepeace’s expansion permit, Linda Jacobs, resident of Cranberry Village, urged the ERC s to consider a moratorium on sand mining.
“I’m actually here to ask for a moratorium on the sand mining so that it can be studied—not just the Earth removal plans, but the whole operation of sand mining and how it’s affecting our area, the wildlife, the waters, and the people who live here,” Jacobs stated.
Jacobs expressed deep concerns about the environmental impact, noting, “It’s just an enormous operation… it’s a wasteland.” She described the unsettling experience of living near the mine: “It’s loud… there’s humming and beeping… I think about all the creatures that are being dug up and the aquifer that’s threatened.”
AD Makepeace Disguising Sand Mining as Agriculture to Avoid Regulations and Supply Read Custom Soils with Product, Profiting Off the Degradation of Our Land and Water
Ongoing mining at this location on Federal Road has led to vast clear-cutting and destruction. Read more about the sand mining at 59 Federal Road, which supplies Read Custom Soils, a subsidiary of AD Makepeace. An overview of Read can be found here, and legal efforts taken can be found here.
Mining into the Aquifer for “Surface Reservoir”
In 2020, world renown hydrologist Scott. W. Horsley gave his expert opinion on Makepeace’s earth removal at the Federal Road sites. He states that there will be “significant alterations to the hydrology and water quality in downstream water resources. Additionally, it significantly increases the vulnerability of water resources due to the substantially reduced depth to groundwater.” Read his full report here.
The construction of this surface reservoir will involve excavating 20 acres to a depth of 15 feet below the water table. The reservoir will be supplied by groundwater and is interconnected to our Sole Source Aquifer. Any chemicals or pesticides used on site will drain into the reservoir, ultimately contaminating the groundwater.
The state has never required an environmental study or any measures to protect the environment or people from this mining. There are protections in place for the sensitive habitats surrounding the site, the community, or the underground Plymouth Carver Sole Source Aquifer that supplies drinking water to seven towns including Carver. Makepeace mines directly into the aquifer, creating pathways for contamination. The excavation has also removed critical layers of soil, gravel, and sand which naturally filter contaminants and protect the aquifer. This project has significantly altered the landscape and habitat at the site and exposed nearby residents to silica sand dust, vibrations, and noise.
Makepeace’s sand mining exposes residents to carcinogenic silica dust
Makepeace’s sand mining exposes residents to carcinogenic silica dust, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer states “results in adverse health effects and increases the risk of death.” Despite this serious concern, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety & Health Administration oversees the mine, yet Makepeace and the ERC have not conducted any tests or provided protections for neighbors exposed to silica. The ERC must halt mining operations and require testing of the sand, along with adequate protections for public health.
Corruption and conflicts of interests?
The ERC rubber stamps permits for Makepeace and has serious conflicts of interest. Chair Scott Hannula trucks sand and gravel for Makepeace, and John Mason works directly for the company. Dick Ward has cranberry bogs and uses sand; his son, Steve Ward, obtained earth removal permits from the ERC and is a member of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association. He also serves on the Department of Agriculture commission, which grants funds to both Ward and Makepeace. In early 2024, Dick Ward admitted that Makepeace has not built the promised bogs in a decade but continues to mine at 46 Federal Road in Carver. Additionally, Roger Shores recently did a land deal with Makepeace, further highlighting the conflicts within the ERC.No environmental impact studies
Makepeace’s permit does not meet legal standards under the bylaw and is not “incidental” to cranberry agriculture. Their application seeks another 24 acres for a cranberry pond intended for bogs that have not been built yet. This clearly indicates that the pond is a ruse. Makepeace should be required to stop mining until they construct all the bogs they claim to have been building since 2011 at 46 Federal Road, in Plymouth, and at 59 Federal Road. No bogs mean no more mining. The mining activities do not meet the legal definition of “incidental,” and the application itself is simply a deceptive tactic.
Environmental Justice Neighborhood
Most of south Carver is an Environmental Justice communities. Cranberry Village and Pine Tree Village are specifically identified as environmental justice neighborhoods directly adjacent to the project at 59 Federal Road. Environmental justice communities are populations disproportionately affected by environmental hazards and are designated for higher levels of protection than other communities.
Currently, there are no enforced protections for these communities to mitigate the impacts from this site, such as carcinogenic silica sand dust and contamination of drinking water wells. Residents report they cannot open their windows, turn on their air conditions or be outside on windy days because of the air borne carcinogenic silica blowing from the mines. They report breathing problems, COPD and health issues that have developed in the last several years since Makepeace has expanded its mining.
Below: Map of Environmental Justice communities in Carver. Blue represents Makepeace’s sand mining site at 59 Federal Road. The yellow areas two EJ neighborhoods that directly abut Makepeace’s 59 Federal Road mining site.
Above: Drone Footage showing AD Makepeace mining site at 59 Federal Road abutting Cranberry Village, a mobile home park and Environmental Justice community. Residents have sand covering their homes and cars, cannot leave their neighborhood without encountering dangerous truck traffic that is incessant, and can feel vibrations from mining operations.
In the last few years, Cranberry Village are seeing Makepeace’s forest clearcutting progressing ever closer to their homes and property lines. Phases 3 and 4 of the 85-acre mining project are currently underway, getting to residents in Cranberry Village. Trees are being lost and wildlife habitat destroyed. Makepeace’s mining at 59 Federal Road and in the 2.1 square mile area around the neighborhood is exposing residents to silica sand dust, noise, and vibrations generated by the ongoing projects and the trucking operations of Read Custom Soils at 46 Federal Road.
Above: Map showing Environmental Justice communities in proximity to the sand mining site at 59 Federal Road, Carver, MA. The blue dot indicated the mining site at 59 Federal Road, Carver MA. The two yellow dots indicate the individual Environmental Justice communities and the red dot indicates phase 3&4 shown on the site plans submitted by A.D.Makepeace for further expansion of the project.
Makepeace’s Phase 3 project at 59 Federal Road will excavate 872,700 cubic yards of sand and gravel worth about $10 million. Phase 4 will excavate an additional 406,500 cubic yards of sand and gravel. The total of 1,279,200 cubic yards of sand and gravel is worth over $15 million. The entire 85 acre project is 4 million cubic yards worth about $60 million.
Above: 2024 Permit Expansion for 20 acre Pond shown in red, above in red is the 18 acres clear cut for bogs that have not been built. Surrounding Neighborhoods labeled.
Harm & threats to drinking water
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t think I could afford water being piped in from another town.. Alot of people like Carver because we have well water. And we want to protect our water”.
–Cranberry Village resident at Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing on 5/29/2024 on petition to shut down Makepeace’s Read Custom Soils trucking terminal on Federal Road.
Mining threatens the Plymouth-Carver Sole Source Aquifer, the only drinking water source for residents of Carver. The aquifer is porous and vulnerable to contamination, making it crucial to protect this vital resource. Mining is only 650 feet from residential drinking water wells. ADM relies on a 30-year-old report to claim that mining is not impacting these wells.
. The entire town of Carver falls within a Water Resource Protection District governed by zoning bylaws intended to safeguard the drinking water. It is crucial that these regulations are strictly enforced.
According to expert testimony from Scott Horsley, a world renown hydrologist, Makepeace has mined so much sand and gravel at 59 Federal Road that it has eliminated filtration protection for the drinking water aquifer. Horsley states,
“significantly excavated to depths minimizing depth to groundwater, effectively eliminating the naturally occurring pollutant attenuation capacity associated with soils above the groundwater. The elimination of the filtration capacity of the soils above the water table could have a detrimental effect on the quality of drinking water within the wellhead protection areas.”
No government regulator has made Makepeace study the impacts of its massive mines on water quality. Clearcutting the forests significantly reduces the rate of evapotranspiration—a critical process in the water cycle that contributes 15% of atmospheric water vapor. Without sufficient water vapor, clouds cannot form, and precipitation would decrease, ultimately lowering recharge rates for our aquifer.
Horsley warns that Makepeace’s mining in this location will
“result in significant alterations to these recharge rates and to the hydrologic regime of the wetland.”
Town officials refuse to protect residents
“ I hope that we aren’t just going to pretend that these things aren’t happening down there, because they are and I think most of us know that.”
Carver resident Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing, 5/29/24
Residents have brought their concerns to Town officials for years.. One resident explained
“It’s just extremely upsetting to me that the town seems to, as the woman said before me, favor big business over human beings.”
This sentiment reflects ongoing dissatisfaction with the town’s repeated approval of projects by A.D. Makepeace and its failure to enforce bylaws meant to protect the community.
Another resident voiced a desire for more balanced attention from the town, stating, “I wish the town would pay as much attention to projects that impact our community’s wellbeing as they do to debating the zoning of business signs”.
The global shortage of silica sand is fueling Makepeace’s massive expansion of sand mining. The town has granted a permit that could yield $60 million in sand revenue. Carver is at the center of this issue. For more information, visit SandWars.org.
Read more here and campaign to shut down Read Custom Soils
Click Here to Write a Letter to the Building Inspector About the Noise and Dust Violations