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Meramec flooding worries neighbors of new mine

Just outside St. Clair, the proposed site of a new mine went under water by several feet. A group of neighbors trying to stop the mine say if it were to flood in the future it would carry hazardous materials like fuel and oil into the Meramec.

The water is receding, but some who live along the Meramec River in Franklin County worry last week's flooding revealed a danger to the river.

Just outside St. Clair, the proposed site of a new mine went under water by several feet. A group of neighbors trying to stop the mine say if it were to flood in the future it would carry hazardous materials like fuel and oil into the Meramec.

Nick Norman is leading an online petition effort against the mine and says he's concerned about the proposed maintenance shop on the mine site.

"It is incredibly close to the Meramec...without any warning the Meramec could take that a way and it could be a huge bio hazard downstream," worries Norman.

The county floodplain manager said the mine meets federal floodplain standards.

In addition to flood concerns, people in the area are worried about dozens of dump trucks driving on their winding country roads to get to and from the gravel mine.

MoDOT agrees that the roads need wider shoulders and will require more maintenance from the truck traffic, but the agency can only make recommendations to the county.

The company behind the project, Meramec Aggregates, has yet to return our calls.

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