Organizers are hoping for crowds at an upcoming environmental hearing Thursday in Springfield.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will collect public feedback at the hearing on a proposal to discharge wastewater into a Clark County waterway.
The Ohio EPA is considering mining company Enon Sand and Gravel’s proposal to send thousands of gallons of wastewater from a limestone quarry into a Mud Run tributary.
The company says it would treat the water in a special collection basin before discharging it into Mud Run.
Kyle Peterson, acting director of the group Citizens Against Mining, says many residents are concerned about the potential that mining pollutants may damage the area’s water quality.
“There’s concerns about well contaminants, surface water contamination and what it’s going to do for our natural habitat and ecosystem,” says Peterson.
State regulations would prohibit any changes that violate health and environmental water quality standards, according to OEPA officials.
The public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Greenon High School cafeteria.
OEPA officials say the agency will respond to citizen complaints later this spring.
For more information, go to citizensagainstmining.org.