Salmons, Inc., based in Virginia Beach, VA, aims to develop an active, open-pit granite mine and crushing plant on Bowden Point in Prospect, Maine. Operations here will go on for “generations,” according to the developer, profoundly disrupting the natural environment and the lives of area residents.granite deposits will be blasted and mined into a deep, permanent pit in the earth – then crushed to make concrete.
IF THE PROJECT IS APPROVED:
- An 80,000 square foot crushing facility at the tip of Bowden Point will crush the mined granite into fine bits. A new access road will be bulldozed through the forest so heavy trucks can bring the granite from the mine to the crusher. A new well will be drilled deep into the granite aquifer in order to deliver 50,000 gallons of water per day to the crusher – far more than the aquifer, which also supplies area homes and farms, can sustain.
- A 710-foot industrial pier will be built out to the Penobscot River’s shipping channel to load the crushed granite onto barges. This activity will disrupt fish and wildlife habitat, stir up sediments contaminated with mercury and impact the fragile Frankfort Marsh ecosystem.
- The crushed Heagan Mountain granite will be transported to Virginia to feed the concrete plants owned by Salmons, Inc.
This project sets a devastating precedent for every coastal community in Maine. It will forever disrupt quiet residential and agricultural areas, air and water quality, wildlife habitat, water supplies, access to hunting and fishing, the health of the river and Penobscot Bay, enjoyment of public lands and other important aspects of life in Prospect and the surrounding area.