Commentary: Open Forum

Winchester Star
August 1, 2006

No 'blow in' - Local is deeply concerned about Chemstone

As an eighth-generation resident of Frederick County, I'm no "blow-in." I'm a deeply concerned 'local' worried about a big problem in this county that nees to be openly explained, discussed, and resolved.

Our land-locked county has had development and water relationship problems through the years that stem back to the fact that we never built our own reservoir or obtained direct water rights to the Shenandoah River. O-N Mineral's plan to expand mining operations and create five more quarries in Middletown is directly related to the Frederick County Sanitation Authority's "Master Plan" for extracting more water for future development in the county.

The FCSA signed a lease agreement in march 2000 with O-N Minerals (Chemstone) for the water rights to quarries in Clearbrook, Middletown, and Shenandoah County. (One odd glitch: O-N does not own any quarry in Middletown; they lease it from another out-of-state company.)

The FCSA agreed to pay all of O-N Mineral's costs and fees, including consultants, impact studies, and attorney's fees to win permission from the county to expand mining operations and create five new quarries in Middletown. By my estimates, these costs have reached $200,000, and continue to grow.

That means all FCSA customers today are underwriting the costs so that O-N Minerals can rezone 639 acres in Middletown from agricultural to extractive manufacturing uses that will lead to the future destruction of the farmland around Cedar Creek and Belle Grove national Historic Park and historic Middletown. FCSA's plan to help expand mining and create new quarries at Middletown as a water supply has never been subject to public debate or approval.

FCSA's master plan calls for a water treatment facility in Middletown. The FCSA wants us to believe there are 10,000,000 gallons of water a day available to be taken from this fragile karst geological region. We heard that story before - at Clearbrook and Stephens City. Both have failed to deliver on FCSA's optimistic projections! FCSA is not a county agency, yet our county will be left holding the bag when the despoiled landscape at Middletown fails to deliver as promised.

There are other solutions. The chairman of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, Richard Shickle, wisely stated last December that he's ready for this county to go to the main stem of the Shenandoah River for water. I second that motion, Mr Shickle. All in favor, please contact your supervisors for denial of the O-N Minerals (Chemstone) rezoning application.

Let's all work together to find an appropriate solution to our water problems without expanding industrial mining that will destroy the rural character of our battlefield park and historic Middletown. There is a better way.


Paul J. Clevenger