A line of spilled oil more than a mile long was deposited on county roads Monday or Tuesday by trucks hauling material for ORC. Also pictured is some of the shoulder damage done to the roads near the entrance to the Seven Devils chromite mining site. Video and more pictures and details are being provided to me via snail mail that depict damage to public roads and a risk to public safety.
UPDATED below:
UPDATE: ORC has put down a fresh layer of gravel covering up the oil track spilled along the mine site entrance road today. As the pictures below demonstrates the oil still covers the paved Beaver Hill Road leading to the entrance. (Watch for asphalt matching spray paint for that coverup)
money= prosperity
Wish I could find a job with them, but to those that have I’m sure its a great resource. I know other local businesses love them. I’m not sure what you are getting at? Just because a few people living on a highway in an area zoned for industrial purposes are upset that its not quiet all the time, doesn’t mean everyone else isn’t happy to have them around.
come says: “ORC is a business, and the county will be nothing but bettered by its existence.”
Remind us Big Guy.
lack of knowledge is no excuse for excess ignorance
grow up people, and come out of the woods for a change. ORC is a business, and the county will be nothing but bettered by its existence. The Stark’s live in an industrial zone. Heaven forbid its used for such! The roads are fine, and the shoulder of the road is fine. Isolated incidents have never quantified broadstroke accusations. Ever.
The majority of trucks running the evening before and into the wee early morning hours of the day the spill was discovered are belly dumpers (I believe 18-wheeled vehicles, but don’t hold me to that), not regular dump trucks. Don’t know the mechanics of dumping a belly dumper load and just how that oil got spewed for over a mile. Also this observer has noticed and reported a few earlier episodes in which hydraulic oil globules dotted the middle of the road, and when the water truck did its business, there were several large rainbow-colored splotches that grew and grew and grew. ORC’s hired trucks seem to be having a host of problems, but no one seems to notice so that the problem is fixed.
Good questions, Pirate. Maybe it wasn’t hydraulic fluid but crankcase oil instead…yuck
OK, maybe it is just a broken hydraulic line.
But, I’ve driven quite a few rigs with hydraulic bed systems. So, I wonder why the driver had the power take off engaged and turning the hydraulic pump that far from where ever he worked the bed?
If the driver had disengaged the power take-off to the hydraulic pump there would be no pressure to break the hose. He would then get quite a surprise when he tried to lift the bed to dump at the processing plant. He would not leave a trail along the roadway.
If they did, Lickity, that would be a great example of what is called an ‘adaptive emergency response’ plan;) Like pouring seawater from a bucket carried by a helicopter into an overheating nuclear reactor.
Maybe we will find this in their list of ‘best management practices’
Maybe he intentionally made the ruts on the shoulder to curtail contaminated runoff from making it in the wetlands?
I am sure that is true, Lickity, the driver didn’t know of the leak, but the shoulder damage and the seepage of this stuff near wetlands immediately adjacent should be addressed immediately
As much as I like to take shots at ORC this one I have to give a pass to. This looks like an equipment failure, they blew a hydraulic line. The driver more than likely did not know until he arrived at the plant or maybe he pulled to the side of the road & did the damage to the shoulder in the process. Ya they should have thrown some sand down if they caught it in time but much more than 15 minutes on the asphalt it is a moot point. You are left with a stain that will fade in time. I suspect ORC is sandbagging far more than anyone realizes about what the future holds for the materials they are attempting to corner the market on. The potential value is far in excess of ANY gold that they may find. Beyond your wildest dreams. You are all fools if you let them get away with not paying the county a substantial increase from the amounts they are attempting to pay in royalties. Trust me, with what is unfolding on the horizon I would not be surprised if they upped the ante more than ten fold if push comes to shove. I don’t blame them for not showing all their cards, why pay 45% when you can pay 3%?
What is unfortunate is the agencies should be thanking the public for helping protect public property, instead submitting a complaint or notification of an impending safety hazard is treated with scorn and ridicule by some, not all, of the very people paid to watch out for these things.
Sorry folks, doubt the fines since our local “environmental quality” reps cannot decide whether or not to investigate ORC’s activities in a timely manner. Leaking oil trail is covered up – er, I mean covered over by fresh gravel well into the mine site, is my best educated guess.
And the powers-that-be forgot to address the shoulder crisis – it still remains deeply rutted, and the wetlands area (on county land, I might add) just off of that shoulder still remains unprotected. Yep, Winchester Creek watershed wasn’t considered by the permitting agencies even though it lies directly across the road from the mining activity – oh and on the same side as the oil-wearing lane which if wet may share its lovely pollutants!
Will continue to be an observer of the touted “good neighbor.”
Will be putting up some video of what appears to be an aggressive water truck driver soon and audio of trucks roaring by from inside a nearby home. My guess, Ron, is there should be fines associated with that oil spill and it sure goes up into the gravel area where it can seep into the ground. What will happen if the water truck that sprays everything onto the shoulder moves that oil onto the shoulder as well?
Looks pretty ugly
Even a dog doesn’t sheet in his own back yard !
Hey Mr. Smith, got anything to say on someone reporting what you’re up to?
This ain’t the World, he has no protection here, probably won’t whine like he does at the Chamber of Consorts meetings.
Why are you allowing this damage Mr. Smith?
I heard there was a rollover somewhere on Beaver Hill recently. Would it have anything to do with slick roads or loose gravel?
Looks like the high caliber drivers ORC hired are having a wee bit of trouble staying on the road. Or maybe the oil caused them to slide off. They’re not finding oil on site so it has to come from trucks and/or other equipment. Talk about a first class operation. Of course, I’m sure they’re taking every precaution possible to prevent oil from seeping into the ground or into any surface or ground water source. If that was my oil on the road I’d be facing fines and probably jail time.
Nothing like a shiny class of water.