For months, residents of Old Hickory have been fighting a quarry set to go into operation in their backyard. Of greater concern to them, though, is the fact that it’s so close to a 60-year-old dam, Old Hickory Dam.
Today, at a public meeting, leaders on both sides are “politely” sparring over the issue. WPLN’s Tony Gonzalez is there, speaking of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Richard Kaiser and US Representative Jim Cooper:
Kaiser and Cooper politely, but firmly, took turns completely disagreeing about the dangers of the quarry. pic.twitter.com/SZwpvc40el
— Tony Gonzalez (@TGonzalez) March 29, 2016
Rep. Cooper: Local leaders "unanimous" that the quarry is a "terrible" idea. "Why are we doing this?" pic.twitter.com/LGN9vs4crk
— Tony Gonzalez (@TGonzalez) March 29, 2016
The US Army Corps of Engineers claims that the quarry would have no impact on the structure of the dam.
Other objections to the dam include environmental (endangered bald eagle nesting nearby), the nearby beach, added stress on the roads trucks would take to and from the quarry, and impacts to neighbors of the dam. The Nashville Scene provided a good background to this issue last year.