Dear Editor,

I have lived along and loved the Coosa River in Alabama most of my life, and I have been concerned about the growing pollution of the river through the years.

I am now particularly concerned at the present time about the increased threat to the river by the location of a proposed limestone quarry in Vincent, Alabama, less than a mile from the Coosa River.

I have studied the plans of White Rock Quarries to dump water from the quarrying activities into the river further contributing to the destruction of the river.

I was immediately interested when I learned the nonprofit organization American Rivers has listed the Coosa among the nation’s ten most endangered rivers.

We have a home located on the river bank. I am a member of the Vincent Historical and Environmental Society, which has been actively fighting a quarry’s coming to town the last year.

The vast majority of the citizens of the community oppose the location of a quarry in the town. The Council seems determined to push this down our throats.

A public hearing was held June 17, 2010, at the Vincent High School at 6 p.m. The council plans to vote soon on whether to change the zoning from Rural Residential and Agricultural to Industrial to permit this quarry.

I have filed suit against the Town of Vincent Council for failure to follow its own Zoning Ordinance. The first motion hearing was June 8, 2010.

We are hopeful the court will halt the town from proceeding further, but until such time as we have a ruling we must be prepared to put forth our best effort.

I hope to have American Rivers representatives available soon to stress the dangers to the river itself and the surrounding groundwater system along the stream from the location of a quarry in such close proximity.