Buendia Concrete Plant Damages

Concrete batch plants must use water in their operations daily to try to cut down on dust and to wash out concrete trucks. This will inevitably lead to run-off. There is great concern for water quality because the chemicals from these plants will run into gardens, neighboring ponds, and area waterways(streams and creeks) which feed directly into Lake Creek. However, TCEQ is NOT required to look into water concerns when issuing permits for concrete batch plants.

If approved, the permit will allow tons of particulate matter to be emitted into our air each year. Particulate matter is a known health risk. According to the American Lung Association, particle pollution can increase the risk of heart disease, lung cancer and asthma attacks and can interfere with the growth and work of the lungs. Even worse, cement dust carries a greater risk, according to studies by OSHA and the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the US National Library of Medicine. Cement dust, in particular, causes lung function impairment, chronic obstructive lung disease, restrictive lung disease, silicosis, pneumoconiosis, and carcinoma of the lungs, stomach and colon.

Moving this type of industrial activity into a residential setting like this will have a marked affect on property values.

Many residents have lived here for decades—and chose this area to avoid living near heavy commercial and industrial activity. Moreover, homeowners new to this part of Montgomery County certainly didn’t anticipate living near a concrete batch plant or suffering from the carcinogenic particulate matter or toxic emissions and safety hazards of concrete truck traffic. This is a residential area—and the homeowners and homesteads were here first.

If approved, the permit will allow many concrete trucks per day based on 24/7 operations. Superior road is a narrow two lane road not designed for substantial industrial truck traffic that could result in hazardous situations for residents and school children.

If the permit is approved, TCEQ will have no daily monitoring of the concrete batch plant. It relies solely on voluntary compliance(self-policing and reporting) by the operator of the plant and only for the first 2 years of operation. TCEQ relies on people reporting a violation only after it has happened. If a violation does occur, TCEQ has limited money and resources to respond to a reported violation.

The Buendia Concrete Batch Plant permit application specifies that the plant is allowed to load concrete trucks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Around-the-clock operation means that dust, noise, running machinery, concrete trucks, and trucks hauling concrete components will be continuous. At night, large lights are required, which will create a nuisance for surrounding residents and spoil the serene characteristic of this rural country setting.