A year after Plainville residents declared victory over Tilcon’s plan to expand its quarrying operation, one of them is suing the town claiming it didn’t adequately protect neighbors or the environment when it approved a new rock-crushing permit.
Georgia Bedell contends that the Planning and Zoning Commission last winter didn’t do a meaningful review of the effect on air quality, water contamination nor the integrity of the nearby aquifer. In addition, it didn’t look into potential harm to neighbors who already complain about noise and severe vibrations from Tilcon’s blasting operations.
Commissioners in February gave Tilcon permission to replace “temporary” rock-crushing equipment, but Bedell’s suit contends that actually allows an increase in yearly gravel production — but without any meaningful investigation into potential environmental hazards.
Bedell sued last week in New Britain Superior Court, and is asking a judge to order commissioners to rescind its approval and then conduct a full-scale environmental review before voting on the matter again.
Bedell, who serves on the town’s wetlands board, is suing only in her capacity as a resident, and emphasized in the suit that she’s not trying to shut down Tilcon’s existing quarry north of I-84. The operation has grown significantly in recent years, though it is still perhaps only a quarter of the size of the sprawling, vastly more visible quarry just south of the highway.
Bedell was an organizer of opposition early last year when Tilcon sought to rezone 83 acres of woodlands to allow expansion of its quarry. Residents urged town leaders to reject the plan, warning it would jeopardize air and water quality along with the Metacomet Trail. In addition, it would worsen the disruptions that nearby homeowners endure when Tilcon is blasting rock with industrial explosives.
Tincon last spring said the concerns were unfounded and described itself as a responsible corporate neighbor, but ended up withdrawing its application before a vote.
But this winter it asked Plainville for permission to replace “temporary” rock-crushing equipment with “permanent” gear. Bedell was granted official status as an intervenor in the case, but she contends commissioners largely ignored her evidence as well as questions she raised. That violated Connecticut’s law on how such applications have to be reviewed, she said.
“Once the environmental intervention placed specific allegations of unreasonable pollution, impairment, or destruction of public trust resources before the commission, the commission was required to meaningfully consider those allegations and determine, based on substantial evidence, whether the proposed conduct was reasonably likely to cause unreasonable pollution, impairment, or destruction of air, water, wildlife, habitat, or other natural resources,” according to her suit.
Bedell said Tilcon’s plan could affect “air resources, water resources, wildlife habitat, public trust natural resources, and neighboring residential properties,” and warned that the environmental consequences of installing crushers, conveyors, screens, transfer points, water misting equipment and more should have been thoroughly analyzed. Commissioners granted the permit in February.
Tilcon has been a well-known stone supplier in Connecticut for more than a century, but has been run by a series of foreign corporations since 1979. It is currently a unit for Ireland-based CRH plc. This week, the company declined to offer any public response.
“In accordance with company policy, we do not comment on pending litigation,” representative Gina D’Amico said in an email.
Plainville’s municipal administration did not respond to an invitation to comment.
Bedell’s suit contends Tilcon’s north quarry has been ramping up production dramatically after processing just 5,000 tons in 2016 and again in 2017.
By 2020 that had risen to 50,000 tons, and in 2024 jumped to 339,000, her suit says. Planned production for 2025 was 365,000, according to her suit.