LOWELL (KFSM) -- A proposal to mine limestone near the Lowell area is raising a lot of concerns for residents living nearby.
The 135 acres off of Old Wire Road are known as the Cross Hollows Mines. It is currently operated as a red dirt mine, but the Benton County planning board is looking at making it into a rock quarry.
Marian Miller said her family lives about a mile away from the quarry. She says they will experience first hand all the problems in the years to come if this project does move forward such as heavy traffic, destroyed roads, noise, and possible well water contamination.
"We kind of have a little urban farm thing going on here. So we do a lot of organic gardening, we grow fruit trees, we have a spring feed well, so a lot of our concerns are just really about the impacts to the air and the water table and also just to the overall quality of the environment," Miller said.
Mayor-Elect Chris Moore also agrees with the residents of Lowell.
"The feeling in Lowell is, though the quarry wants to come in, it's just not a good fit for the community," Moore told 5NEWS.
He says there is a lot of history in the town and the quarry could take it away if not destroy it altogether.
"Falling back to the Trail of Tears, the Bloomington Trail with the stagecoach and the Civil War. There's a lot of history in this area, and it really is the center of cross hollow," Moore said.
The site owner declined to comment and Anchor Stone, a Tulsa company which will quarry the stone, has also not responded back for a comment.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 19 at 6 p.m. at the Benton County Courthouse.