A group of neighbors have been awaiting a visit by a high-ranking U.S. Government official in hopes that it could change the course of a proposed rock quarry.
The Brigadier General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been planning to visit the area around the Old Hickory dam Tuesday.
For months now there's been concern about the proposed quarry that's set to be built nearby.
Those who don't want to see it built have said blasting for the quarry could weaken the earthen levee that is part of the dam and sits atop 15 feet of wet, loose sand.
Those against the quarry have worried that the blasting at the site could eventually cause the dam to fail, but those in favor of the quarry said there isn't any concrete evidence of that.
A group organized against the quarry said blasting can be unpredictable, and they don't want to take the chance of a potential levee or dam failure.
“Sometimes you need to err on the side of the ‘what if’ to protect the lives and livelihoods of homes and businesses all around you,” said Amy Pragnell, one neighbor against the proposed quarry.
We tried reaching out to the company behind the quarry -- Industrial Land Developers -- but did not immediately hear back.
