Washington County sets hearing on quarry regulations

August 24, 2017

Washington County is proposing to regulate smaller quarries that produce sand, gravel and other materials for construction and road work.

County commissioners have set September 5 for a first hearing on the ordinance, according to the Portland Tribune. The planning commission endorsed it on August 2.

The county already has authority to regulate "significant" quarries, which produce at least 2 million tons of aggregate annually — equivalent to about 100,000 truckloads.

However, the county has no regulations for smaller quarries. Officials say smaller quarries will become increasingly important to supply material used in road-building and other construction in a fast-developing county.

Washington County led northwest Oregon with 2.5 million tons of aggregate produced last year, according to the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. That total is up from 2 million tons back in 2010, during the economic downturn, but far less than the 4.5 million tons produced back in 2000.

Larger quarries received protection two decades ago, when a state law required counties to identify aggregate-mining sites under a state requirement for protection of natural features. The law was advocated by the Oregon Concrete and Aggregate Producers Association, which sought to limit land-use appeals.

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