BELLEVUE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A quarry in Bellevue enjoyed by scuba divers could be drained and filled with waste.
Nearby residents attended a Metro Planning Commission meeting on Thursday afternoon to try and stop it.
The commission is hearing a proposal put forward by Councilmember Dave Rosenberg that would change the zoning of the property from agricultural to residential. Residential would allow the property owners to build homes on the land, but not a landfill.
"I mean I think it would be fantastic to have a Hutton Lake as an amenity," said Kimberly Reichard, who lives 650 feet away from the quarry.
Hutton Lake is what residents call the body of water that is the quarry.
"I moved out here 20 years ago just because it's a very special place," she said.
Reichard is concerned about what dump trucks will do to quality of life and property values.
"One of the reasons I love living out here is because the river is here. I think about the contaminants that can go into the quarry if they do a C & D landfill and I think about the potential of it containing the drinking water downstream," she said.
Property co-owner Crom Carmichael does not think neighbors should worry about contaminants.
"Our permit only allows us to put clean rock and dirt in the quarry," Carmichael said. "The state is allowed to audit whenever they want to and we're happy to have them audit."
Originally, the property owners promised to never fill the area with waste. But then lobbyists brought a bill to state legislators, that if passed next year, would allow the quarry owners to break that agreement.
Additionally, Carmichael believes the quarry is dangerous.
"It's just an attractive nuisance in the purest sense of the word. On hot summer days there are people who ignore our no trespassing signs, ignore our danger signs and they just go over to the quarry to jump in it," he said.
If the Metro Planning Commission approves the zoning proposal, Metro Council will take it up as legislation at their next meeting.
