Such facilities are still required to obtain water quality permits. However, TDEC is now also planning site inspections and increasing communications through meetings and formal notifications with the companies. These operations have a long history in Tennessee, especially along the Cumberland Plateau where rocks are plentiful and beautiful. Facility operators mine the stones, and then some process them by cutting, shaping, or polishing.
Some facilities are small, handpicking operations while others use heavy machinery and blasting.
While these sites range in size from a few acres to up to 50 acres, they have grown in numbers and size recently due to increased demands for building and landscaping. In the past, we've regulated these sites on a case by case basis as we became aware of them. Now, we're taking a more systematic approach. The Tennessee Water Quality Control Act extends permit requirements to any person who is operating or planning to operate a facility involved in the development of a natural resource that results in discharges to waters of the state. Examples of discharges requiring a permit are runoff from disturbed areas of the mine or quarry, mine dewatering, discharges or overflow from processing operations, and runoff from access roads and haul roads.